


Fighting for the Lost

by the2anime_fanatics



Series: Sebastian's Daughter [4]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Selena is getting better at not being a baby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 41,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22952191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the2anime_fanatics/pseuds/the2anime_fanatics
Summary: Selena Michaelis has been through a lot. She's lost her mother, found her brother, and been kidnapped and tortured more times than she can count. But sadly, it's not over for her quite yet.Maria's ex husband is back, and he wants to finally do what he's been aiming for since the very beginning: to destroy the "monster" he claims she is.Will Selena finally be able to get away from him for good, or will Nathaniel finally meet his goal?
Series: Sebastian's Daughter [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647892





	1. Chapter 1

_I was back in the forest, surrounded by the bloody corpses of scientists and hunters, and even a demon. I glanced around, horrified. Had we really killed this many? Had I done this to these people?_

_I ran, doing my best to dodge the bodies at my feet. They were piled around for miles. Surely we hadn't done this._

_Eventually, the bodies became so packed together that I had to fly to avoid trampling them. I flew out of the forest and away from the bodies._

_Once clear from the forest. the sky thickened with dark clouds. I flew faster, wanting to find shelter. Rain began to pour down from the sky, but it wasn't water; it was blood. The closest building was the lab, and I flew right for it, gagging on blood._

_Once inside, I wandered the empty building. All of the scientists were dead outside. I had never seen it so quiet anywhere. I searched the building until I reached a familiar room._

_It was the room where Alex had taken me to after we had escaped from those cages on my birthday. I slowly approached the closet door, and opened it._

_Inside was my mother. She was standing there, holding Alex in her arms, She smiled at me, and I slowly walked up to her._

_I examined Alex. He was dead. His eyes were closed, his clothes and face bloody, hair a mess._

_I shrieked and jumped back, away from my mother. She was smiling, but now I noticed what kind of smile it was. It wasn't happy or sad. It was one of a killer, smiling at their next victim._

_I ran from her, toward the front door. I reached for the doorknob, but stopped dead in my tracks when the door opened._

_Before me stood my father, his black tailcoat dry and clean, even though the blood rain was still pouring from the sky. He had his signature closed-eyes smile plastered across his face. He came closer to me, backing me into a corner._

_"Dad, what are you doing?!" Mom's in the other room! She's killed Alex! You have to help me! Please!"_

_Dad just continued to smile at me. His eyes opened, and he stared at me the same way Mom had moments ago._

_He lunged at me. I quickly ducked under him and ran back outside, The blood rain had stopped, and the sky was clear, but a deep red. I took flight, hoping my father wouldn't come after me. I glanced behind me only for a moment, and saw a figure surrounded by deep black fog rapidly approaching. I screamed, trying to fly faster._

_He grabbed my leg, and I did the best I could to shake him off, but his grip was too strong. I kept flying, hoping he would come to his senses and let me go._

_"Selena!" I heard someone yell. I looked down at the black grass and saw someone waving at me. It looked like Samantha, but I wasn't sure. The voice sounded different._

_"Selena!" They shouted again. I flew down to them._

_"Help!" I screamed._

_But before I could reach them, a thick black fog covered the world, and I couldn't see anything anymore._

"Selena!"

jerked awake and sat up. I quickly looked around the room, still trying to catch my breath. I soon realized that I was in my room at the inn. Samantha was standing by my side, staring at me worriedly. I took one more deep breath, then nodded, letting her know I was okay.

She sighed with relief. I hunched over, holding my head in my hands. I'd been having that same nightmare ever since we got to this place, and we'd been staying here for the past week, waiting for my father and the others to get here. Samantha was going to move us to another inn today if they didn't show up by noon.

I looked down at my leg. The blankets were wrapped tightly around it. I hurriedly removed the blankets from the bed altogether. I then realized my clothes were drenched in sweat. I lay back on the bed, sobbing.

I felt Samantha sit on the bed beside me. "Selena, I have a clean dress for you. Was the nightmare the same as before?"

I nodded. "Why is this happening to me?" I cried into the pillows. "I know that Alex is okay, and my mother is dead, and my father would never hurt me. So why?"

"I wish I knew. On the bright side, Sebastian told me that he should arrive before nightfall. so I decided we should just stay here. It might be safer to keep you out of the open areas, anyway."

I didn't answer. I kept my face buried in the pillows. I wasn't sure I wanted to see my father. These dreams have been the worst ones I'd ever had; worse than reliving my mother's death.

Eventually, I sat up and glanced at Samantha. She had a sad smile on her face. I turned my attention to the dress she held in her hands. It was black with a white ribbon on the left side at the waist. I took it from her, and her smile brightened.

"I'll be outside."

I stood and changed into the dress, then hung my sweat-drenched one over the back of a chair. I walked toward the door to let Samantha back in, but I heard her speaking on the radio.

"Yes, we are."

My father's voice on the other end was staticy and quiet. I couldn't hear what he said.

"She's not doing well. You need to hurry."

I opened the door. Samantha jumped up and turned to face me. "Selena, you scared me."

"Were you talking to my dad?"

"Yes. I was letting him know that we would like for him to be here as soon as possible. We need to leave. You wanted to go home, didn't you?"

"Well, I-"

"I'm going to go find something for us to do. You stay here and rest."

"You're really funny if you think I'm going back to sleep."

Samantha smiled sadly. "Just stay here." She gently closed the door, leaving me alone in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Once I was alone, I instantly became aware of everything around me. Those dreams had me horrified to be alone. I sat on the bed, folded my arms, and sat motionless, waiting for Samantha's return.

A few hours later, when I heard the door opening, I flinched and braced myself, closing my eyes. But once my eyes were shut, all I could see was the thousands of corpses, the blood rain, and the blood lust my mother had had in her eyes.

I jerked and opened my eyes in time to see Samantha approach. "Had you fallen asleep?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, you just startled me is all. And every time I close my eyes I see horrible images from that dream."

"I'm sorry, but look! I found us a few things that we could do. I wish I had thought about doing this sooner, but you've been sleeping so much, and I didn't want you to wake up and me not be here. It's like you still haven't fully recovered from that cage draining you, and then giving all your energy to your brother. Goodness, I wish I was as strong as you."

"Are you kidding?" I asked, dumbfounded. "I wish I was more like you! You're so sweet, and never in trouble or danger. Not to mention pretty, smart, kind..."

"You're sweet, Selena, but you're the real strong one here. Being able to hold on in one of those cages for as long as you did is something no other demon could do. And saving Alex like that right after being completely drained of all of your energy?" She shook her head. "Anyway, let me show you-"

Just then, the radio made static noises, and Samantha frowned. "I'll be right back." Then she walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Wanting something to do, I glanced over at the bag on the table on the opposite end of the room. Clearly, she didn't want me to go through it without her, so I fought the urge to get up and waited. A couple of minutes later, she returned with a large grin.

"Sebastian just said that he and the others will be here in a few hours. And that Alex is walking again. He's almost completely healthy again, according to Maria. And none of them can wait to see you."

I gave a small smile. I wanted to see Alex again, especially after dreaming of him being dead for so many nights. I also wanted to see Finny. He helped save me, and I knew it was him who was trying to protect me until Samantha brought me to the inn. I guess the only person I didn't really want to see was my father.

"Anyway, we have some time to kill, so let me show you what's in this bag!"

***

We played checkers and Samantha played with my hair, trying out all different kinds of styles. We finally decided to just leave it as it was, but it was a little wavy after being tied up so many times.

I'd also told Samantha to wake me if I fell back to sleep. I was still exhausted, but I refused to have that nightmare again. Since I'd woken up, I'd probably been awake for at least eight hours by the time there was a knock on the door.

Samantha and I glanced at each other. She stood and walked over to the door. We waited a few seconds before the radio sparked to life, and I could barely make out my father's voice in the mess of static.

"Samantha, it's us."

Smiling with relief, Samantha opened the door. Finny ran into the room and over to me, and I jumped off the bed and hugged him. Once I was up, however, I realized how exhausted I was, and I leaned on Finny more than I'd wanted to.

Finny picked me up and sat me back on the bed, and Maria came over and hugged me. I glanced past her, though, eager to see my brother.

Alex was standing in the doorway, smiling at me. I beamed at him, tears forming in my eyes, and although I had just been returned to bed, I fought my drowsiness and ran to my brother. I hugged him tight, never wanting to let go.

"Easy, it still hurts a bit."

I loosened my grip slightly, but didn't move away.

Alex finally pushed me back a little before I finally released him. I stared at him, tears escaping my eyes.

"I hear I have you to thank for saving me."

"Alex, I... I didn't do anything. There was... I couldn't...."

"It's alright. You helped me. I think I knew while I was unconscious that you were keeping me alive. I'd be dead if you hadn't done what you did."

"You also wouldn't have been in that situation if it hadn't been for me. I'm so sorry, Alex."

Alex took my hand and looked into my eyes. "Selena, if I hadn't met you, I'd be alone. I'd rather risk my life for you that live like that. And I couldn't have asked for a better sister than you."

I felt more tears fall down my face as I hugged Alex again. He held me for a moment. When he pulled away, he walked over to the other side of the room, and I was left in the doorway with my father.

I gave him a small wave, then, ignoring my tiredness, instantly ran to the others.


	3. Chapter 3

Third Person POV:

Sebastian glanced quizzically at Samantha, who sighed and walked into the hallway. Sebastian followed, and closed the door, separating themselves from the others.

Samantha glanced down both directions of the hall, making sure no one was there or listening in. It was clear.

"What's wrong with Selena?" Sebastian asked, his concern evident.

Samantha took a deep breath, then told him.

"Selena has been exhausted ever since we left the lab. She only woke up once on the way here, and then went right back to sleep. She woke up after we got here, and I explained everything to her, but then she went to sleep again, and every time after that, she's had the same horrible nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Sebastian wasn't really surprised; his daughter had been living a nightmare for the past couple of months.

"Well, for one, it starts out with her back in the forest where her cage was, surrounded by millions of dead scientists and hunters. And when she flies away from them, she said it starts pouring blood rain, and the only place she can go to escape it is the lab."

Sebastian didn't like the sound of that. He had never wanted Selena to go back in there, even if it was only in a dream. She wouldn't be able mentally to be in the same building where her mother was killed.

Samantha continued. "Next, she finds herself walking to the room where Angelica was killed. She told me she opened up the room, and Angelica was standing there, holding a dead Alex in her arms, with a horrible look of blood lust.

"She said she runs for the door, but when she gets there, you open it. Apparently, you're standing there in the doorway, not a drop of the blood rain on you and the same look as Angelica's on your face. Then you back her into a corner and attack her. But she ducks around you and escapes into the rain, where she hears me calling for her and wakes up, scared out of her mind."

"She's still exhausted? How long has she been awake?"

"About eight hours or so, sir."

Sebastian nodded, then turned and entered the room. Selena was sitting in the bed, playing checkers with Finny, who was standing beside her. Alex was sitting next to Selena, and Maria was standing on the other side.

"I win!" Selena exclaimed. The others laughed. Selena glanced up at the doorway and froze, then quickly looked away.

Sebastian could see her exhaustion just by looking at her. Her eyelids seemed to droop, there were dark circles under her eyes, and she leaned against Alex, resting her eyes occasionally before jerking them back open.

Sebastian approached his daughter and sat on the bed beside her. She remained frozen in place, staring away from him.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She still refused to move.

He looked into his daughter's tired eyes. "Get some sleep. We won't let anything happen to you." He gave her a small smile, and her frozen body seemed to melt. She relaxed in his embrace, remembering the comfort of her father, and happy he was back with her.

***

Selena seemed to fall asleep almost immediately. Sebastian held her.

"What did you do to her at the lab, Sebastian?" Maria asked. "When you made her fall asleep? Did you just do it again?"

"It's nothing that can hurt her, and it definitely didn't cause her immense amount of drowsiness. It's just a little something to help her rest. It's her illness causing her exhaustion; that and overexertion."

"But-"

"I used to do it to her all the time when she got sick or couldn't sleep. It's harmless."

They sat in silence for a while, before there was a bright light outside. Sebastian nodded to Samantha, who opened the window.

A moment later, the light faded, and in the room was an angel.

"Glad you could make it, Angelina," Sebastian said.

"Wait, why is she here?" Finny asked, confused.

"I have Selena's medicine for Maria to examine and see if she can duplicate. There isn't much left, and we have stopped making it, considering there are no other of her kind left besides her and her brother.

"And Selena is the only one with the disease?"

Angelina nodded to Finny. "It is a very expensive medication to produce, and the ingredients are rare to us. But I thought someone who lives on Earth would have more of a chance to find the ingredients, and maybe find something more common that will work the same way."

Maria took the bottle from Angelina. "I'll do my best, but don't you have any more? We could give one to Selena and I could try to break down the other one."

The angel shook her head. "I am afraid they would only allow me the one, and they refused to let me have the list of ingredients."

"Why would they not let you have the ingredients if they've quit making it?"

"Because if it is used by anyone other than someone like Selena, it would be very dangerous. Many people used to use it for drug purposes, but after the high experienced, it could leave you dead."

"So this won't cure her, but it will help, correct?" Maria asked.

Angelina nodded. "There is no cure for her illness, I am afraid. But this will give her her strength back and she should be as good as new for a while."

Just then, Selena began to stir. Sebastian held her tighter, and Samantha ran to her side. "She's having the dream again." She looked to Sebastian. "Should we wake her?"

Angelina stepped forward. "Step back, child," she said, motioning for Samantha to move. She did so, and Angelina placed her hand on Selena's forehead. She closed her eyes, and focused on her abilities. A moment later, she entered Selena's mind, hoping to give her comfort.


	4. Chapter 4

Selena's POV:

_I was flying through the red sky over the black grass after my father had tried to grab me. I knew where I was going; I had to find Maria._

_"Selena," I heard someone say softly. It didn't sound urgent, as expected in a place like this. The voice was also somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place it._

_I stopped. "Who's there?"_

_Suddenly, the sky turned to a clear blue. The sun was back, and the grass was green. I wasn't covered in blood from the rainfall, and there were no bodies to be seen._

_I looked back in front of me, and there was the silhouette of a figure. Once it got closer, I could tell exactly who it was._

_"Angelina? What are you doing here? No, never mind that. You have to help me! Mom and Dad have gone crazy! They're trying to kill me!"_

_Angelina flew over and hugged me. "Everything is alright now. It is all in you head."_

_"But how do you know? Why are they trying to hurt me?"_

_"They are not, dear. This is all just a dream, remember? You've had this once many time before, have you not?"_

_My heart was pounding, but slowly started to return to it's normal pace as everything started to come back to me. This was just a dream. One I've never been able to see the ending of because Samantha, thankfully, woke me each time._

_"Angelina, I'd like to see how it ends."_

_"Why? You were terrified of your father after you had it before."_

_"But I know that I shouldn't be scared of him. He'd never hurt me. Please? I want to know."_

_"Alright, but if you want the true ending, I'll have to make you forget seeing me. You will forget that I told you this was a dream."_

_"Whatever you have to do."_

_"You are such a brave girl. Alright. I wish you the best."_

***

Third Person POV:

Angelina opened her eyes and removed her hand from Selena's forehead.

"She wants to see this dream through to the end. I have made it to where she will not wake up until it is over, so none of you can accidentally wake her.

"But doesn't that mean she can't give up, either?"

Angelina glanced at Alex, who had just spoken for the first time since she had arrived. "She wanted to see it through. Plus she cannot give up if she does not know it is a dream."

"But you just told her."

"And then I wiped her memory of it. I respect my niece's wishes."

They sat there in silence for a moment, Selena stirring every now and then. Finally, Angelina broke the silence.

"I should be going now. I have a lot of begging to do if I want to try to get a hold of another one of those medicines."

"Thank you, Angelina. We appreciate everything." Maria spoke up.

"No thanks needed. I am happy to be of service."

With that, Angelina left, and the room went back to it's silence.

***

Selena's POV:

_I flew through the red sky until I reached Maria's house. I landed and ran inside. Luckily, the door wasn't locked and I could just make my way inside without waiting for someone to open it._

_I ran inside, and the first place I found myself was the dining hall. Maria and Peter were sitting at the table. They turned their heads to me and smiled._

_Maria stood and walked over to me. She reached out to give me a hug, and I reached out to her as well. But her hug turned into a grab, and a grab turned into holding me hostage. I squirmed and tried to break free from her grasp, but I couldn't. The next thing I knew, she had her scythe out, ready yo cut my throat. I stopped struggling._

_"That's a good girl," Maria grinned evilly. "Nathaniel! Come looked who came crawling back."_

_I glanced over to the staircase, and there was Maria's ex husband. He stood there, smiling, holding a knife in one hand, and spinning a gun in the other._

_"Well what do you know? Did you finally realize that your parents are murdering psychopaths?"_

_I shook my head, causing Maria's blade to cut me slightly. "I bet_   
_you did that to them! And Maria, too! They would never hurt me!" I cowered back slightly and cried softly, "What do you want from me?"_

_"What I've wanted for a very long time..." he said pointing his gun at me. He shot._

_The world faded to darkness, and through that darkness, I heard a whisper: "I'm coming for you, Selena."_

I awoke with a start. I quickly sat up and saw everyone watching me. My heart was racing, and I jumped when I felt someone touch my hand.

I looked over and saw that it was Finny, his eyes filled with concern.

Samantha was standing at the foot of the bed, and I finally noticed that Dad was sitting behind me; he must have been holding me. Alex was on the other bed, staring at me worriedly.

"So?" Samantha asked. "How did it end?"


	5. Chapter 5

I glanced from person to person, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked Samantha.

She smiled at me patiently. "The dream. How did it end?"

I blinked at her. "How do you know it ended?"

"Angelina was here," Dad spoke up. "You were having your nightmare again, and she interrupted it to speak with you. You begged her to let you see how it ended, and she let you. She did something to you where you wouldn't wake up again until the dream had played itself out."

"So wait. Angelina was here? Wouldn't I remember that if she invaded my head?"

"Not exactly. She wiped your memory of seeing her so it wouldn't affect the outcome of the dream."

"So how did it end?" Samantha asked again.

I glanced around the room. Maria was standing in the corner with shining eyes. Obviously she had heard about the first half of the dream from someone. It seemed like everyone knew about it. I didn't want to tell her that she was a part of the terrifying ending.

I must have been staring at her for longer than I thought, because she nodded to me, like she knew she was a part of the section I didn't want to discuss with her here. "It's alright. It's only a dream, remember?"

I nodded. For some reason her words made me feel a bit better. I took a deep breath and told them everything, from flying to Maria's house to the whispers in the darkness.

Once I was finished, there were tears in my eyes and I was shaking from fear. Never in my life had a dream made me feel this horrible. I leaned back against my father, and he held me. His embrace seemed to calm me a little, and laying back, I realized how tired I still was.

Maria, on the other hand, was pacing. Not that there was much room for pacing, but she made the best of it. She seemed to be thinking about something, but I couldn't tell what.

"So," she spoke up, still pacing. "You believe it was Nathaniel whispering to you, correct?"

I nodded.

"Well, we just need to make sure he can't find you. Where is a place that he would never look?"

"He's expect us to go back to the manor," Alex said. "Peter is still there, after all."

"I have to go back for him soon," Maria sighed. "I hope he's okay."

"He's fine, Maria." Dad said. "He has plenty of people watching over him, remember?"

Maria nodded.

"He'd probably expect you to go home sometime, too," Finny told Maria.

"We'll worry about this later," Alex said, getting to his feet. "Shouldn't we first try to figure out how to stop her dreams? She's still exhausted, even after sleeping for the past couple of hours. Shouldn't we just give her the medicine?"

"But what if Angelina can't get any more of it?" Maria asked defensively. "Then we'll be on our own to try to make more. We'll need this one to break down somehow for ingredients."

"Angelina brought the medicine?" I mumbled tiredly.

"Yes," Dad replied. "But we must wait to give it to you until she returns. She may be able to get a second dose that will help us to create our own."

"Or, if we're lucky, the ingredients," Maria added.

Not wanting a fight to break out, I changed the subject. "Do you think that since I finally saw the end of the dream, it could go away?"

Dad and Maria seemed puzzled for a moment while they considered it. Alex, Finny and I just watched them.

Maria spoke first. "Well, Nathaniel does like to take pity on you, so maybe. I mean, he hasn't gotten up the nerve to kill you yet, either. If he had, he would have done it by now."

"So you think it was him sending me the dreams?"

"It seems that way, but I'm not sure how he could do it."

"He could have someone with lots of power helping him," Dad pointed out. "That would be the best explanation for it."

I lay against my dad, thinking about everything. I knew that I could really use another nap, and that I could also go for that medicine. But if I ever needed more of it, and Angelina couldn't get anymore, then I would be out of luck. I knew we had to wait, but I was leaning toward Alex's argument; I didn't want to feel like this anymore.

I could also gradually feel my strength coming back. Whenever I woke up, I knew I was stronger than I had been before, even if only slightly. I just wanted to sleep for a full day or two without waking up, hoping to at least be somewhat back to how I had been. But I went over my limits when Alex had been shot down, and it had probably worsened my condition.

"Do you think Angelina would know if Nathaniel had a demon or angel working with him?" I heard myself ask. I hadn't meant to; it just kind of slipped out. "I mean, she did go inside my head during the dream, after all. If she had known, wouldn't she have told you?" Then I had another thought. "She wouldn't be hiding something, would she?"

Dad seemed ready to deny my claim, but then he considered it. He knew that she would have told us if there was another presence. So was that really Angelina, or did she switch sides?

"Well, I say we just ask her when she comes back if she was able to get any more of the medicine, and if she says no, we should probably be suspicious."

We all glanced over at Maria. "What? I feel like it's the best option. If she really is on the other side of this mess, then she could've given us poison instead of medicine. We have to wait until she gets here."

"Can't you tell if it's poison or not?" Alex asked. "You're the scientist here."

"I could, but I don't have my equipment with me and I don't want to ruin it if it does happen to be medicine."

"Well, we need to figure out something," Alex said.

"But we can't go back to London," Finny added. "He's expecting us to go back there."

"We have to go back eventually." Maria seemed to sadden. "I can't let Nathaniel get ahold of Peter. I won't."

"Then we'll go back." Dad said, his voice sounding final. "We'll leave in a couple of days, after Selena gets more strength back."

"But where will we go where he won't expect us to be?" Alex asked.

"He's going to expect us to be anywhere. There's no point in trying to hide. The best we can do is find a sturdy building with lots of good defenses."

"And where might that be?"

I could almost hear Dad's smile. "We're going back to where this all began."  
  



	6. Chapter 6

I slept most of the next couple of days, not having that horrible nightmare anymore. Instead, I slept dreamlessly, except for the occasional chat with Serena when she wanted to. It was just to pass the time, because we were both bored out of our minds.

When the day finally came for us to leave, I tried to beg my father to let me fly back, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted that someone carry me, so I asked if Alex could. Dad reluctantly agreed, and told Maria and Finny they would have to catch a ship back. They nodded, and Finny glanced at me reluctantly. I smiled and gave him a huge hug, then told him I would see him soon. He smiled, and then he and Maria headed for the docks.

Once we were ready, Alex picked me up and flew into the air. I could hear Dad pass us by, carrying Samantha, who had refused to transform again. Once I knew they were out of sight, I jumped out of my brother's arms, and let myself fall through the wind.

Alex screamed at me, and I could hear him rushing to my rescue. I quickly spread my wings before he could grab me again, and glided through the air. I smiled into the wind. It felt so good to be flying again.

The sky was covered with big, fluffy gray clouds, with cracks of blue peeking out from above. It was snowing softly, small white snowflakes gradually making their way down to the white ground. I glanced back at Alex, smirking. His black hair was speckled with small snowflakes, and he was glaring at me.

"Selena, you gave me a heart attack! Why would you do that?"

"I just wanted to fly for a little while, Alex! You have no idea how it feels to not be allowed to stretch your wings for almost two weeks!"

Alex just kept glaring at me.

"Look, if I get tired, I promise I will tell you. But can't I fly for a little while? Please?"

Alex's glare faltered, and instead he just sighed. "Fine. This is why you wanted me to bring you back instead of Dad, isn't it?"

I gave him an apologetic smile before turning back around and picking up speed. I glided through the cold winter air, catching fluffy snowflakes on my tongue, and just living.

A little less than an hour later, we made it to the ocean. I glided down to the water and stuck my hand in. The cold water made me shiver. I turned around and saw Alex right behind me, making sure I didn't fall in.

I giggled, then splashed him. He slowed his pace slightly, caught off guard. He playfully glared at me before picking up the pace and rushing after me. I screamed and flew faster, trying to get away from him. I flew toward a small island up ahead, hoping to hide from him there, but once I reached it, I was tackled to the sand covered ground hard, my face in the dirt.

Suddenly, I was bombarded with memories of being kidnapped, forced to the ground at the inn in Boston, Finny motionless by my side. I felt something pressing against my wings, in almost the same fashion as the hunters who had broken them to prevent me from escaping.

"No, let me go!" I screamed, still buried in my memories. A moment later, the presence hovering over me vanished.

I quickly sat up, breathing fast. I searched frantically around the small beach until my eyes landed on Alex. He was staring at me in confusion.

Tears began to fill my eyes, and I leaned over and latched onto my brother, stifling cries. He held me, even though he didn't know why I was upset or had been so scared. Even so, he kept whispering apologies.

A few minutes later, I sat up and looked at him, wiping at my tears. I shook my head at him. There was no need for him to apologize for anything. I just let myself think of the worst possible scenario and automatically fear for my life.

"Are you alright?" he asked a moment later. "What happened?"

I shook my head. "I... I just have some horrible memories of being down like that. It's nothing."

"It's not "nothing," Selena. I'm sorry."

"But it's not you," I told him. "It's those people that attacked me the day we met." I hugged myself, thinking of the horrible scene again. "They pinned me down, shattered my wings, and.... and..."

Alex reached out and hugged me again. "It's alright, I understand." Suddenly, he stood, still holding me. "Let me carry you for a while. You need to rest up."

I simply nodded in agreement. I didn't feel as if I had the energy to fly again anyway, nor did I really want to. At the moment, I just wanted to be in my brother's arms, where I knew I was safe.


	7. Chapter 7

I watched the calm blue ocean beneath us as we made our way back to London. A dolphin followed us for a little while, hopping into the air every now and then. I smiled down at it as it chirped, then dove back into the sea.

I nestled closer to Alex as the air became colder. He held me tighter, trying his best to shield me from the cold.

"We're almost there, Selena."

I nodded.

Eventually, I felt Alex slow and land. I glanced around and noticed we were outside the manor where we had left Peter.

Alex carried me inside, and we met up with Dad and Samantha.

"The others should be here within a week or two, depending on how fast the ships can go," Dad told us.

Alex set me down, and I walked over to Samantha. "I want to go back to my room. Will you take me? I'm not sure I remember where it is."

Samantha gave me a worried look, but I just waited patiently. If I gave her a look or anything that said I just wanted to speak with her, Dad would get suspicious and worry, and I didn't want him to.

She then smiled brightly. "Of course!" Taking my hand, she led me up the stairs, down the hall, and to my room.

I went over and sat on the bed as she closed the door. She turned to me.

"What happened?"

I took a deep breath, now not really sure if I wanted to tell her. Maybe it would be best to keep it a secret. It was just a flashback, after all, and I hadn't even known her when I'd been attacked. Maybe she wouldn't understand.

Samantha noticed my reluctance and took a step closer. "Selena, you can tell me anything, remember? What happened?"

I took another deep breath, then told her everything, from me breaking away from Alex to the flashback to him carrying me the rest of the way here. She listened closely, and didn't interrupt. By the time I was finished, I was slumped over, tired, and unsure of what to do.

"It was just a little flashback, Selena. I honestly don't understand what you're worried about."

I almost gaped at her. "Isn't it obvious? I'm scared it'll happen again. Or that I scared Alex, or that I upset him somehow. I don't want him to keep worrying about me. I don't want anyone to."

Samantha sat beside me. "Selena, we all care about you. Of course we're going to worry. That's part of loving someone, isn't it?"

"But I've already caused them so much trouble and stress. I don't want to be a burden if I can help it. I don't want them to worry about me anymore."

"I understand, Selena. But you know, it's okay. I know for a fact that Sebastian, Alex, Finny, and the rest of us are totally okay with helping you from everything that's happened. It's going to be okay. And it could've been a one time thing. Try to look on the bright side."

I nodded. "Thanks, Samantha."

"No problem. I'll go let the others know that you want to rest for a little while."

"But don't tell Dad about what happened," I said urgently. "I don't want him to know. He worries about me enough."

Samantha gave me a grim look. "Selena, you know that if he asks, I can't lie to him."

"Well then don't lie. Don't bring it up, and hopefully he won't think about it."

"I really think it would be a good idea if he knew. He is your father."

"Please, Samantha?"

She sighed. "Alright. But I'm telling him if he asks."

"Fine. Thank you."

"Get some rest." With that, she left.

I flopped back onto the bed. What was I going to do if Dad asked and wanted to talk about it?

Samantha was probably right. I was just making a big deal about something that probably wouldn't happen again. I just needed to relax and not think about it.

I jumped a moment later when I heard a knock on the door. Before I could say anything, it opened with a creak and Alex walked in. I sat up, and he smiled.

"Good, you're still awake," he remarked. I nodded.

"Need something?" I asked him.

"So, about what happened earlier," he started.

"It's nothing to worry about. Samantha told me it was probably a one time thing."

"But do you believe her?" he inquired.

"Yes," I reported. "No.... Maybe.... I don't know."

Alex moved closer to me, his eyes filled with concern. "Are we sure this is a one time thing?" He asked. "I mean, couldn't Nathaniel be forcing these memories onto you the same way he does your dreams?"

I looked down at my hands. I didn't know what to think, but it seemed a likely possibility. He could have a demon or someone watching me, and whenever he's given the opportunity, he makes my life miserable.

I sighed and buried my face in my hands. "What if you're right?"

"Then we find Nathaniel and his henchmen and stop them." He said.

"But we have no idea where to find him!" I whined, looking back up at him. I could feel my eyes filling with tears. I was so scared that something would happen again. I didn't want to live my life fearing a human who shouldn't be able to have power over me, but did.

Alex placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. Just try not to worry about it.

"But how can I not?" I cried. "How can I not worry about this when they could do anything to me whenever they want. I'm not even sure how a demon could be doing this. I don't think Dad knows either."

"We'll figure this out. I promise. But for now you're just going to have to live with it, alright?" He seemed to be growing slightly annoyed with me, which just made me cry harder.

"Okay. I'm sorry."

Alex took a deep breath. "Selena-"

"Just leave me alone, Alex. Please." I lay on the bed, my face buried in the pillows.

I heard Alex sigh, and then the creak of the door as he left the room.


	8. Chapter 8

I stayed in my room, not sure whether I should continue to cry or punch the wall in anger and frustration. Tears continued to fall from my face as thoughts kept running through my head. " _You've finally done it. You've made Alex mad. Now he's gonna leave and not stay with you anymore. Selena, how could you be such an idiot? He's your only brother, and your pushing him away!"_

 _No,_ I thought to myself against the voices. _I didn't push him away. He understands that I just wanted to be alone to think about everything. I'm sure of it._

_"Are you though?"_

_Yes. I am._

_"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better. He'll never think of you the same again. You'll always just be the crybaby little sister who he has to be sure to babysit and make sure she doesn't get hurt or do anything stupid, like you always end up doing anyway. Even in a building full of demon babysitters, you still managed to get kidnapped. I don't see how he puts up with you, you little monster."_

The tears began to flow faster when I heard the word. " _Monster. Monster. Monster."_ It rang in my head, and wouldn't leave. I sat in the silence of my room, voices in my head calling me a monster, and my quiet sobs filling the still air.

_"Christopher was right about you, you know. You deserve to die just for existing. You vile monster. Maybe you should stop hiding. Let Nathaniel come to you. He'll save you from your worthless life."_

_Nathaniel._ The name rang through my head like a loud bell. I sat up suddenly.

"Nathaniel! Get out of my head!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I fell back onto the bed, the word "monster" still ringing in my ears, but slowly fading.

I was crying uncontrollably when the door to my room burst open and someone ran in and came over to me. I felt gloved hand on my cheek, and I looked up to see my father watching me, not even bothering to mask his fear and concern. I latched onto him, unable to quiet my sobs. He held me, smoothing my hair, rubbing my back, anything he could to try to calm me.

Finally, the horrible words stopped ringing in my ears, but I remembered them. They called me a monster, which I guess I should be used to by now, but it still hurt. Especially when the same voices are trying to convince you that your brother no longer cares for you and thinks the same way as they do.

I ran out of tears, but still continued to sob. I couldn't stop, no matter how hard I tried.

It wasn't until Alex came in that I was finally able to pull myself together slightly. I glanced up at him.

"I don't know what they're telling you, Selena, but I'm not mad at you for sending me out. I get it. Okay? Just ignore them."

I slowly nodded, wiping at my dry eyes and tearstained cheeks.

Dad seemed to pick up on what was happening right away. "They've been talking to you, Selena? For how long?"

I shook my head, unable to speak. I rested my head against him, and he continued to hold me.

"Does anyone else know about this? Alexander?"

Alex sighed, looking to me for permission. I closed my eyes without answering him.

Alex sighed again, then told our father about the flight back, kindly leaving out the part where I was flying, and replacing it with me wanting to rest on the beach. He tied that back to the dreams, but no one except for me knew what had happened minutes ago.

I could feel eyes on me, but I refused to open my own. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I heard footsteps; people were leaving.

I may not want to talk to anyone, but the last thing I wanted was to be alone.

I opened my eyes. Alex and my father were still there, so there must have been someone else in the room that I hadn't noticed. Hopefully not Samantha. I'd hate to have ignored her.

Alex was smiling at me. "So what were they saying, Selena?"

I shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it. I couldn't. But if I didn't, they wouldn't know how to help me.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I slumped over, stressed and tired.

_"Hey, white feathers."_

I jumped, and felt myself tense up. Dad felt it, too, and held me tighter.

_"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, Selena."_

_What do you want?_ I asked Serena. I just wanted people to stop talking to me, even if one of them was technically myself.

_"I was just going to offer to tell them everything for you."_

_You're going to take over again?_

_"Not completely. It'll still be us. Your thoughts, but my words."_

_Okay...._

_"It'll be fine. Just watch."_

_*_

Third Person POV:

When Selena jumped and tensed, Sebastian had no idea what was going on. After that, she just seemed to stare off into space, daydreaming.

Alex knew when she got that look she was speaking to Serena, and had assumed Sebastian knew as well. But all he was doing was holding his daughter in the most comforting way he knew how.

Selena seemed to calm down a moment later, taking deep breaths, but still a little shaky. When her eyes opened again, they were tinged red.

"Selena? What happened? Were they talking to you again?" Sebastian asked.

Selena shook her head. "No. It was Serena. She just startled me."

"Alright...."

Selena then sat up a little straighter and began to seem a bit more confident. Alex knew it was just Serena taking control, but she still seemed to be acting like she was still only Selena. Sebastian just watched, his expression hard to read.

'Selena' took a deep, shaky breath, trying to stay in the act. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and told Sebastian everything the voices had been telling her.

Once finished, she slumped over and tears started to flow again. She was shaking again, and Sebastian was only holding her tighter, seeming to have figured out what was going on.

"Selena, don't worry. They can't harm you, and nothing that they told you is true."

Selena glanced up at her father, who was smiling at her. She only nodded.

Sebastian released his daughter, and Selena moved so he could stand. He gave her one last smile before moving toward the door, motioning for Alex to follow him.

Alex did, and they stopped right outside the door.

"Don't leave her alone. If she needs anything, you go with her. Maybe if she has someone nearby, they'll leave her alone."

Alex nodded his understanding, then reentered the room, smiling at Selena, who was curled up again, holding her head.

 _NO!_ Alex screamed in his head, then ran over to help his sister.


	9. Chapter 9

Selena's POV:

As soon as Dad and Alex had left, the voices came back. _"Monster,"_ they told me. _"No matter what they tell you, you'll always be a monster in their eyes. And the worst part is, you know that it's true. You just refuse to admit it."_

I shook my head violently, trying to rid myself of them. _No._ I told them. _You're wrong. They'd never think that. Especially not Alex. We're the same._

_"You think that makes any difference? Alex knows he's a monster just like you. That's why he doesn't tell you. Your father's the same way. He knows both of his children are monsters. He just doesn't want to blow his cover."_

_STOP! GO AWAY!_ I screamed at them. By then, the door opened, and I heard footsteps run toward me as I held my head, still screaming at the voices to go away.

I felt something touch my shoulder, and instantly sat up, eyes closed and hands pressed tightly against my ears. "Go away!" I screeched.

I felt arms wrap around me. I fought them, but I couldn't break free. I screamed and clawed at the arms wrapped firmly around me, but eventually gave up and just sat there in their arms, crying.

"Selena, it's alright. It's just me."

At Alex's voice, I only cried harder, but turned to lean against him.

Alex held me, and once I'd calmed down slightly, I asked him, "N-not to be r-rude or a-anything, b-but why are they o-only after me?"

"I've been wondering the same thing. Something about you must be pretty special for someone to not want you to exist."

"Or maybe they're right. Maybe something about me is horrible, and I shouldn't exist at all. Maybe they really are trying to do the world a favor."

"Stop talking like that, Selena. If there was something bad about you, me or Dad or someone would have seen it by now."

"Maybe...."

"Selena," Alex said, pushing me away slightly to look into my eyes. "I promise you that there is nothing bad about you. You need to ignore those voices. I'll be here with you so that maybe they won't come back. We're hoping they won't talk to you if you're with someone."

"So you won't leave me?"

"Never."

I latched back onto him, trying not to cry but failing. Alex held me and rubbed my back, until I finally fell asleep in his arms.

***

I awoke in the same position as before, Alex still holding me gently. I glanced up at him, and he smiled down at me.

"Good morning."

"Is it morning?"

"No, it's only been a couple of hours."

"You've been sitting here with me for two hours?"

"Yup."

"I didn't mean to make you do that."

"It's alright. But my leg is kind of cramping, so...."

"Oh!" I jumped off of him and let him stretch his legs.

"That's a little better." He said with a smile.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

I watched him, feeling horrible about it. "But-"

"Selena, you've gotta stop blaming yourself for everything. I'm fine, and I chose to sit with you. Therefore, not your fault."

I nodded. He smiled, and walked over to the door.

"What are you-"

"Just checking on something. I'm not leaving."

Alex opened the door and leaned his head out, looking like he was searching for something. But once the door was open, the voices came back.

_"Monster."_

***

Third Person POV:

"Alex."

Alex turned around quickly from his conversation with one of the demon maids. He noticed the distressed look on his sister's face, and immediately abandoned the conversation the comfort her.

He heard the maid close the door behind him, and he was grateful. He didn't want many people seeing Selena like this. After hearing about what happened at Christopher's lab, they all thought she was strong and a hero. He didn't want them to see her this fragile and start thinking differently. She was strong, she just didn't know how to handle what was happening. None of them did.

"Why won't they leave me alone?" She asked desperately. "Why?"

Alex held his sister, trying to calm her. He decided to change the subject. "Hey, the maid I was talking to said that Finny and Maria should be back by tomorrow."

"So fast?"

"Apparently someone picked them up. I didn't hear who, though."

Selena thought back to last time Maria and Finny had hitched a ride from someone, and shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Alex asked.

Selena shook her head. "No, I was just thinking about the last person who helped them get to us faster."

Alex was confused, but didn't question anything. "At least they're close."

Selena gave a small smile, thinking of seeing Finny again. "Yeah...."

"Well, do you want to do anything? Staying locked up in here is a little exhausting."

Selena nodded, and Alex took her hand and walked with her down the hall. Once they made it to the dining hall, they were stopped by Samantha.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"Just walking around. It's getting pretty stuffy in that room."

"We can move you to one with a window, but I'm not quite sure Sebastian wants that. Someone could see you."

"That's what we're afraid of. That's why we're just walking around the manor."

Samantha smiled sadly. "Alright, well have fun you two."

Alex smiled to Samantha before she walked off, but Selena just stared down at her feet.

"Hey," Alex whispered. "Are you okay?"

Selena only nodded.

Alex wasn't sure what to do, so he just led his sister back upstairs. On the way up the stairs, they were both silent. Alex was worried that something was happening, but by the look on Selena's face, she was just zoning out and didn't feel like talking.

Once outside Selena's room, though, she froze. Alex gently tugged on her, trying to get her to continue, but she wouldn't budge.

"Selena, come on," Alex said gently. "We're almost there."

Selena shook her head, then stared at her brother, fear on her face.

"Alex...." She whispered. "They're here...."


	10. Chapter 10

Selena's POV:

Quivering in fear, I held Alex's hand tighter.

"Who's here?" Alex asked.

_"Come out, Selena. We'll kill him if you don't."_

I slowly started moving toward the stairs again. Alex held tightly to my hand, stopping me.

"Selena. What's wrong?"

I glanced at him. "They're here," I whispered again.

"Yes, but who?"

_"Selena, we're waiting...."_

I looked away from Alex, and felt myself crumple to the floor. Tears began to flow from my eyes, and I couldn't control them.

Alex was immediately on the floor beside me. "Selena, please. Tell me. Who's here?"

I glanced up at him again. "Everyone. Maria, Finny.... Nathaniel and his demonic helper...."

"So they have Finny and Maria?"

I nodded. "And they'll kill Finny if I don't go out there." I cried harder. "Alex, what do I do?"

"Go back to your room. I'll send someone up to stay with you. I'll go talk to Dad, alright?"

I nodded, and somehow lifted myself off of the floor and into my room. I collapsed on the bed, listening to the voices becoming louder and more angered.

_"Selena, are you coming?"_

***

Third Person POV:

Alex ran down the stairs, taking them three at a time. When he finally burst into the kitchen, Sebastian was standing beside the table, seeming lost in thought. When he saw Alex, he was startled by the urgent expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Sebastian asked worriedly.

Before Alex said anything to him, he saw Samantha and called out to her.

"Samantha! Go and stay with Selena. Please!"

Samantha seemed shocked by the sudden order, but didn't ask questions as she hurried up the stairs to Selena.

"What is happening?" Sebastian asked again.

Alex told his father briefly of what Selena had told him and where she was at the moment. Sebastian was out the door before Alex could finish his last couple of words.

*

Samantha made it to Selena's room in a few seconds, she was about to open the door when she heard the front door slam closed. _Be careful, Sebastian, Alex. Don't get hurt._

Opening the door, Samantha was relieved to see Selena was still there. She was sitting quietly on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest, her cheeks stained with tears. Samantha moved into the room, closed and locked the door, and sat next to Selena. She hugged the girl close and tried to comfort her, but Selena seemed to have no reaction to any if it.

"Selena," Samantha whispered. "What are they saying?"

But Selena had found a way to block out the demon invading her mind. At least, while she was communicating with her brother.

_Alex, what's happening down there? I can hear them screaming at each other from up here._

_"I'm not sure. All I can hear are jumbled words. I don't like it."_

There was a silence between them, and a voice broke through.

"Selena?"

She jumped as she pulled herself out of her trance. She glanced up, for the first time noticing that Samantha was sitting beside her, holding her.

"When did you get here?" She asked quietly.

"Just a minute ago. Are you alright?"

Selena didn't know how to respond, so she didn't. Instead, she just found herself leaning further into Samantha's comforting arms, wondering why she felt so safe. Samantha was roughly the same age as she and Alex were, and was sweet and friendly when they first met her, but somehow their ordeal had changed her, and now she felt more like a motherly figure than a friend. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it, but hoped Samantha would go back to her old self after the whole thing was over.

 _"Selena? Are you okay? You're quiet."_ Alex's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

_I'm alright. Dad must have them distracted. They haven't said a word to me._

_"Yeah, well, him along with about half of the demons staffed here are outside right now. Just stay with Samantha."_

_Alex, don't go-_

_"I'm not. I'm just telling you what I hear."_

"Are they saying anything to you?" Samantha asked.

Selena shook her head. "No. Alex is keeping me informed. But he said he can't really hear anything from inside."

"He's not planning on going out there, is he?"

"I told him not to, and he said he wouldn't, but if something happens, I know he'll go. I can't stop him because I can't go outside, or even into the hall." Tears were starting to fall from Selena's eyes, and she rested her head on Samantha.

"I'm sorry, but once they let the others go, we'll take care of them. Then you can go wherever you want."

"But hasn't there been enough killing? So many people have died already."

"It's only one more human, and a demon, who Sebastian will gladly take care of for you. Maria may kill Nathaniel herself." Samantha giggled slightly at the thought.

Selena sat quietly. "But that one human may have people he cares for. There's Peter, and it's possible his parents are still alive, or he found someone after Maria kicked him out that he loves, or-"

"Selena," Samantha sighed. "He's hurt you multiple times, and you know he won't stop until he finally kills you. What's with the sympathy? I thought killing him was our goal."

"I wouldn't say it was my goal to kill him. I just want him to leave me alone."

_"Is that right?"_

Selena jumped at the voice in her head. It sounded more demonic than before, like Nathaniel wasn't speaking through the demon anymore; the demon was speaking directly to her.

_"I will kill this blond brat if you don't get out here, you monster!"_

Selena let out a soft cry. "They're going to kill him," she whimpered. "They're going to kill Finny."

Samantha held Selena tighter. "Sebastian won't let them hurt him. And Finny can take care of himself, remember?"

"He can't stand up to a demon, Samantha!"

Samantha simply held Selena close as she cried, not sure what to do. She knew the demon was continuing to speak with Selena, but of course she had no clue what it was telling her.

Samantha sat holding Selena, the only sound in the room the girl's sobs, as she tried to think of a plan to do something to help the others.


	11. Chapter 11

Selena's POV:

I sat in Samantha's arms, scared for everyone outside. Finny and Maria were both out there, captured by Nathaniel and his demon friend. Dad and most of the demons that were here were all outside, trying to build up a small army. As for Alex, I had no idea what he would try to do.

The demon kept talking to me. _"Selena, get out here! What are you waiting for? Do you want us to kill him?"_

 _Don't hurt him!_ I screamed at him. _Please!_

_"Then turn yourself over!"_

"Selena, stop talking to them!"

I looked up at Samantha.

"The more you interact with them, the more likely they are to convince you to go outside. Stop talking to them. Do you know of any way to block them out?"

I nodded, then closed my eyes. _Alex?_

_"Need something?"_

_I just need you to talk to me. It keeps the others blocked out._

_"Well, what do you want to talk about?"_

_Anything, just don't pause for too long. I can't listen to them anymore._

I was on the verge of tears. I could sense my brother's sad smile. _"Alright. Well, did I tell you about the time I met this pretty girl with long black hair, hazel eyes, and wings? She was about our age."_

I smiled to myself. _I don't think so._

 _"Well,"_ he said, _"we should change that."_

***

Third Person POV:

By the time Alex was halfway through his story, he felt his connection between him and his sister vanish, and he knew she had fallen asleep. He wasn't quite sure if she had just been that tired, or if Samantha had done something, but either way, it was best for her. Alex hoped that if anything happened to Selena in her dreams, she would be able to fight it off. She was part demon, after all. She should be able to fight of a demonic force, right?

Alex moved closer to the door so that he could hear better. The voices were still a bit muffled by the closed door in front of him, but he was able to make out what they were saying.

"Stupid girl, answer me!" An unfamiliar voice screamed. "I _will_ kill him. Get out here!"

"She's not coming down here," Finny's voice rang out. "You won't get to her."

Suddenly Finny cried out in pain. Alex winced.

"Oh, she's not, is she?" Asked the voice. "I can sense that she's sleeping. She's having a pretty horrible dream at the moment, though. She'll come if she hears you scream a couple more times, don't you think?"

 _Why is no one out there doing anything?_ Alex thought to himself. There were at least thirty demons out there. Were none of them going to help?

"Selena isn't coming," another voice spoke up. Alex didn't recognize it, but assumed it was another one of the demons that worked at the manor. "Just let them go."

"No," the voice said, and Alex could hear the smirk he was speaking through. Everyone was quiet for a long moment. Then Alex heard it, along with everyone outside, he was positive.

Selena was screaming.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Alex could barely see the blur of someone running through the main hall, following the scream.

Alex hadn't known that he could move that fast, but a moment later, he stood before the person who had been pursuing his sister.

The man was tall, as most demons were. His black hair was cut short, and he wore a black dress shirt and slacks. He seemed surprised to see Alex standing before him, but quickly regained his composure, and started to scowl.

"Get out of my way, boy, if you know what's good for you."

"I'm sorry, but can I ask why you and your master are so bent on murdering my sister?"

The demon's scowl lifted into a smirk. "So _you're_ the boy he's been talking about."

"More than likely. So are you going to answer me, or do I have to repeat myself?"

The demon stood smirking a moment longer, then pounced onto Alex. Alex fought back, arms flying.

Alex managed to flip over and spread his wings. He flew up toward the ceiling, the demons still latched onto him, punching at him, trying to get him to fall. Alex kicked the demon off of him, who fell through the air and landed on his back at the feet of the other demons.

Alex glanced down at them, and saw Sebastian give him a nod. Alex immediately flew up the stairs and toward Selena's room. Once there, he didn't bother knocking. He ran into the room, and saw Selena crying in Samantha's arms.

Samantha glanced up at him and smiled in relief. "Is everyone alright?"

Selena glanced up, and when she saw Alex, she gave a sad smile. Alex walked over to her and hugged her.

"What did he tell you?" He asked her.

"N-nothing. I saw him kill everyone. I didn't know if he was showing me what was really happening or not. What happened?"

"Don't worry, everyone's fine."

"So when I heard Finny screaming....?"

Alex thought for a moment. Finny was fine. There was no reason to make her worry. "He's fine."

"It sounded and looked so real..."

"Well Dad and the others are taking care of the demon. As for Nathaniel, I'm not sure what's happening to him. He might have made a run for it once his demon ran inside."

"You can't stay here anymore," Samantha stated. "They'll come back."

"You're right. They're probably expecting us to stay. I'll talk to Dad and the others about it. They may have somewhere in mind." Alex moved to the door. "You two stay here until someone tells you that it's safe to leave."

Samantha nodded, and Alex left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Alex practically ran down the stairs to find his father. He had to tell him they couldn't stay here anymore. They were in too much danger. But if there was another demon working for Nathaniel, then they could easily track them. Alex realized suddenly that he had no idea what was going to happen to them.

He reached the kitchen in a matter of seconds, frantically searching for his father. He found him a moment later, speaking to the demonic staff around him.

Sebastian saw his son and cut off mid sentence. Glancing at him curiously, he saw the urgency on Alex's face. He excused himself, and left the room, ushering Alex with him.

"Where are we going now?" Alex asked, desperate to know. "They're expecting us to know that they'll.... Ugh. It's so confusing."

"I understand. We will be leaving as soon as Selena thinks she can." Alex saw the sadness on his father's face. "She's been through too much. Both of you have..."

"She's fine. Just tired and shaken. We need to get out of here now. They're going to come back."

"I know that." Sebastian sighed. "But they shouldn't be back for a while. Nathaniel needs a new demon."

Alex nodded. "I guess you're right, but he could have a whole line of demons ready to come to his aid. He could be here as early as a few hours."

"I was speaking to everyone about that. They're going to guard the place well for the night, then we shall leave in the morning. I want her to get at least one more night's rest."

Alex hung his head a little, trying to hide his stress and frustration. "I'll let her know."

Sebastian put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Nothing will happen to her tonight, Alexander. I give you my word."

Nodding, Alex turned and made his way back up the stairs. When he finally made it to Selena's room, he knocked lightly on the door before entering.

Selena was laying on the bed, her eyes closed. Alex could tell she wasn't asleep, but still kept his voice down as he turned to Samantha.

"He said we're leaving tomorrow. He didn't tell me where we're heading, though."

"As long as you're getting out of here," Samantha sighed.

Selena slowly sat up. "You're not coming with us?"

"I'll do whatever your father tells me to do."

"But you can't stay here!" Selena shouted. There was fear in her voice. "What if they come back for me. If I'm not here, you could get hurt."

"The risk is the same for all of us here." Samantha tried to be reassuring, but it wasn't working very well. She added, "There are many of us here, Selena. We look out for one another. The other demons here won't let me get hurt." She laughed. "Especially since I'm the youngest one here."

Selena forced a smile. Samantha sure hadn't been acting like she was only 16.

Alex placed a hand on Selena's shoulder. "She'll be okay. We all will."

Selena only nodded, then turned to lay back down. Her mind was swimming with thoughts and images. She could still see Finny and Maria being killed, as the demon had showed her, she could hear Finny's screams. She turned her face away from the others, not wanting them to see her tears. She stayed that way for a long time. After Samantha had left, and it was only her brother with her. After what felt like an eternity, she finally fell asleep.

***

Selena's POV:

I didn't wake up again until early the next morning. I sat up to find that I was alone in my room, for the first time in what felt like forever. My first thought was that something was wrong. They never left me alone. But maybe they thought it was safe enough to let me sleep in my room, or that I would want to be alone for a little while. Either way, it wasn't normal. As my suspicions grew, I was more drawn toward the door. I wanted to know why.

I got up from the bed and, on shaky legs, made my way across the room. I opened the door and peaked out. There was no one on guard.

I walked through the doorway and into the long hall. It was empty.

Even more worried, I started down the hall toward the stairs. The closer I got, the more I thought, _This must be a trap. Somehow Nathaniel managed to get enough demons on his side to take out everyone in the manor, then wait for me to come out looking for everyone._ My thoughts made me freeze for a moment, reconsidering whether or not to try. But the thought that Nathaniel could gather enough demons to defeat my father alone was inconceivable.

I continued down the hall. I made it halfway before my legs gave out. I fell to the floor. Hard.

I lay there for a minute. No one came.

I forced myself to me feet and continued, this time leaning on the wall for support. I made it to the stairs, but soon realized that I probably couldn't take them without falling. With a stroke of brilliance, I spread my wings, then gently let myself glide through the air above the staircase.

I landed at the bottom, slightly smiling to myself. It hadn't been brilliance, obviously. I was nowhere near brilliant. It had been common sense, and the fact that I had called it brilliant made me laugh.

I explored the bottom floor of the manor, finding no one. I made my way to the front door, and heard voices coming from the other side. I peeked through a small window, and to my relief, saw everyone.

It was dawn outside, the sky pink with small, scattered clouds. Everyone was listening to my father, who seemed to be giving some kind of speech. I could barely see Alex in the front of the crowd, standing beside Samantha. Finny, Maria, and even Peter were out there as well. Maria seemed troubled, but nodded in understanding to whatever my father was telling her and everyone else.

I sank down to the floor, knowing that I wouldn't be able to return to my room. It had taken most of my strength to get down here, and since I was still exhausted, and could feel symptoms of my illness returning, I stayed where I was beside the door, waiting for the others to return inside.


	13. Chapter 13

I must have dozed off while I waited for them. The next thing I knew, Maria was kneeling before me, gently shaking me awake. I smiled at her. It felt like forever since I'd seen her, and after the incident yesterday...

"Are you alright, Selena?" she asked. "Why are you all the way down here?"

"I just woke up by myself and got worried," I replied. "I'm fine. I'm glad to see you're okay, though."

Maria smiled. "Nathaniel wouldn't dare hurt me. He knows that I could take him out."

I suddenly remembered that Maria was a Reaper. _How had I forgotten?_

She helped me to my feet. "Well, we should get you ready to leave. Finny can't wait to see you."

I felt my cheeks turn slightly pink. "I'd like to see him, too."

We made it back up to my room, where Maria helped me get ready to leave. I touched my mother's necklace around my neck, thinking back to that horrible nightmare Nathaniel had sent me. I blinked back tears, grabbed my charm bracelet off the table, and slipped it on. That was basically everything I had, so I waited for Maria, who took my hand and led me back out of the room and to the main hall.

Dad and Alex were there, along with the rest of the staff. I saw Samantha near the front, but with the others.

"Are you ready?" Dad asked.

I nodded, still staring at Samantha. "Is she not coming with us?"

"I can only bring along so many people, Selena. Outsiders aren't very welcome, where we're going."

"So then who all _is_ going?" I asked, glancing back at him.

"Just me, you, and Alex. I sent Finny on ahead. He'll be expecting us soon."

"But what about Maria?"

Dad sighed. "Maria will be going back home with Peter. It's too dangerous to keep the boy with us, and she didn't want to leave him again."

I glanced at her with a frown. I understood her not wanting to leave her son anymore, but I worried about her. What if Nathaniel went back to their home and he tortured Maria by taking Peter away?

She gave me a sad smile. "We'll be alright. We don't even know where you're going, so he can't get any information from us."

I nodded, then turned back to my father. "So then if it's just the four of us, what difference does Samantha make? It's just one more person. She could help a lot. And it would be nice to have a girl there with me to talk to instead of a bunch of guys, no offense."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Samantha crack a smile. Dad sighed.

"Please?" I begged. "If Maria can't come, then Samantha should be allowed to take her place."

I saw Dad give a small smile. "I'll have a lot of explaining to do, but I suppose." He turned to Samantha. "Gather anything you might need. And do it quickly."

Samantha curtsied happily. "Yes, sir!" She ran up the stairs.

"Thanks, Dad," I smiled. He smiled back at me.

A moment later, Samantha was back with a small bag. She took my hand, and Maria released my other one. "Let's go!"

We started toward the door. After saying goodbye to everyone, I turned to Samantha. "You seen pretty excited. Do you know where we're going?"

She shook her head. "Sebastian didn't tell any of us that were staying. He didn't want them to be able to torture the information out of us."

That was understandable. Nathaniel would stop at nothing to find me, and if he had another demon helping him, he would easily be able to torture all the others.

We hopped into the carriage that was waiting for us. Alex was there shortly, and Dad got up front to lead us to our destination.

The road on the way was long, and I fell asleep leaning on Alex's shoulder. I awoke with a start when the carriage jolted to a stop. I wiped the sleep from my eyes and glanced around the inside of the carriage.

"Why'd we stop?" I asked tiredly.

"We're here," Alex said from beside me. He was staring out the window at what appeared to be a large manor. It looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. My mind was still fuzzy from sleep.

Suddenly, the door to the carriage opened, and the bright afternoon light burst through. I blinked my eyes at the sudden change, but soon adjusted.

Dad was standing there, smiling at me. He helped me out of the carriage, and I glanced back at the huge building standing before me. Suddenly, I realized where we were, and memories of trying to find it a few months ago came flooding back.

"The Phantomhive Manor...."

Dad smiled. "Yes. I thought this would be a very safe place for you. You may have to work to earn your stay, though."

I nodded. "He's not going to hurt you for staying away for so long, is he?"

Dad's smile changed from bright to reassuring. "He couldn't if he tried, Selena. Don't worry about me."

I glanced from him back to the estate. It was larger than I remembered, but the rest seemed the same. I glanced up at all the windows to the different rooms, and was easily able to locate the one that had been mine. The one I had jumped from when I had broken my wing what felt like forever ago.

"Let me go inside to make sure everything is ready. No doubt the young master will throw a tantrum about you staying with us. I'd rather you not see that."

I nodded, and Dad approached the manor.

Alex stood beside me, staring at the massive building. "So you've been here before?"

I nodded. "Dad's in a contract with the boy who lives here. This is where I found him after what felt like years of searching."

"Why exactly did you have to search for him?" Samantha asked, curious. Alex seemed to be wondering the same thing. "And how did you end up finding him?"

Seeing the genuine curiosity in both of them, I sighed, and told them my story.


	14. Chapter 14

Third Person POV:

"What took you so long, you stupid demon?" Ciel raged, slapping his butler across the face.

"My apologies, My Lord." Sebastian knelt on the ground of the study before his master. He honestly felt no remorse at all for staying away for such a long period of time, and hated the thought of being back with the little brat. "It took much longer than I had anticipated due to many.... unscheduled events."

"And now you've brought the demon girl back here with you! And with two others? What do you think my manor is, a hotel? I will not sit here harboring young demons for you!"

"They just need a place to stay, Young Master. She'll be out of your hair soon enough. And I plan to make her work off her stay."

"The boy, too? And the other girl?"

Sebastian hid a smirk, knowing how terribly Alex and Ciel would get along. It would be quite amusing. "I assure you."

Ciel gave a heavy sigh. "Very well, Sebastian. But be sure to put them to work. Immediately."

Sebastian lowered his head, smiling. "Yes, My Lord."

***

Selena's POV:

Samantha and Alex both listened to me tell them the story of my life like they were children being told a fairytale. Then once I got to the part where Alex and I met, we each took turns telling Samantha of everything that happened while we were camping out in the woods with only a blanket around me and the fire for warmth and protection from the snow. He told the parts where I had been asleep, and about his adventure to find me my birthday present. I glanced down at my wrist, admiring the charm bracelet, which still held the two charms from Alex, the wings and crossbones, and the silver rose with black jewels that had been on the necklace from Finny. I brought my right hand up to my neck and held the cross that hung there.

We then told her how we figured out we were twins, and how it had felt. "And then we headed to the manor where we met you, because Dad thought it would be the safest place."

Samantha opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Dad came back over to us.

"He's in a bit of a bad mood, but he agreed if you worked to earn your keep." His gaze fell on me. "I'll try to be as nice as I can, but you know he'll get suspicious if your tasks are too simple."

I nodded. "It's alright, Dad. I'll do my best."

Dad smiled. "Alright, 'Chrystal', Finnian should be in the garden."

My smile brightened, and I found myself running for the garden. Samantha and Alex were probably confused as to why my father had called me Chrystal, but I decided Dad could easily explain the situation to them. All I was worried about was finding Finny.

I had to stop running once I'd reached the garden. I was out of breath, and felt my exhaustion creeping up on me. Breathing heavily, I searched for Finny, hoping to find him before I collapsed.

I spotted him tending to the roses. I tried my best to approach him, but felt myself slipping into darkness. I stopped where I was, refusing to pass out.

"Finny."

*

Third Person POV:

Finny was smiling to himself as he worked in the garden, trimming and watering the roses. He was about to move on to the other flowers that had survived the winter so far, when he heard footsteps in the hard soil, dusted with snow, behind him. He started to turned around, but froze when there was a voice.

"Finny."

Finny shook his head to clear it, then turned to face the owner of the familiar voice. There was Selena, standing in the garden before him, beautiful as ever.

It was another moment later before he noticed her eyes were half closed and she was swaying back and forth, trying to keep her balance. He was up and at her side in a heartbeat, holding her. He saw her smile, then lean against him completely.

He thought she'd fallen asleep and was about to carry her inside when he heard her mumble, "I missed you, Finny."

He smiled. "I missed you, too." He paused a moment, then added, "Chrystal."

Selena's smile seemed to glow a bit brighter.

 _He remembers,_ she thought.

"Do you want to see the roses? The black ones are still here."

Selena lifted her head slightly, as if to look for them. She nodded, and Finny led her to them. He sat her down in front of them, then sat beside her, always keeping one hand on her shoulder.

She stared at the roses. "How are they still here? They shouldn't have been able to survive all of the snow, or the cold air."

Finny shrugged. "I'm not sure, especially since I wasn't here taking care of them. Maybe they just wanted you to see them again."

Selena let out a soft laugh. "I doubt it. But it is nice to see them." She leaned against him again.

"Do you want to go inside and rest?"

She shook her head. "Ciel will put me to work as soon as I get inside. I can't..."

"It's alright. Rest here if you'd like. I won't leave you."

Selena smiled. She knew she needed to sleep, but she couldn't keep Finny from doing his job. They'd both get scolded.

But before Selena could answer, she found herself drifting off to sleep.

Finny smiled slightly at her. He just couldn't get over how beautiful she was. Even just lying there in the snow-dusted dirt.

Finny was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of footsteps, he turned his head as far as he could, not wanting to twist his body and wake Selena. It was Sebastian.

He held a finger to his lips, and Finny nodded. Sebastian carefully picked up his daughter, nodded to Finny, and carried her inside.

Finny stared after them for a moment longer, then returned his gaze to the roses. They stood tall, seemingly unaffected by the chill of winter. They stayed strong against what was trying to get rid of them. They really were like Selena.


	15. Chapter 15

Selena's POV:

I woke up in a small room with familiar surroundings. I sat up and took it all in. As I was glancing around, I saw a note and a box at the foot of the bed.

Smiling to myself, I picked up the note.

_Selena_

_Seem familiar? You'll find your chores listed here and the contents of the box are also strangely similar to those of a couple months ago. Hope you feel well enough to help out._

_Finny_

I smiled brightly at the list of chores. I was supposed to sweep the halls, clean the bathrooms, make the beds, and help Finnian in the gardens. Only this time, the chores I was supposed to do indoors were for the second floor only. The memories were all flooding back. My second day here, after finally finding my father, I'd had the same list of chores, and it was then that I had met Finny.

I set the note aside and turned my attention to the box. I opened it slowly, and sure enough, inside was a black maid's dress with white lace apron and a black ribbon to tie back my hair.

I quickly got dressed, then began my chores. I swept the halls and started making the beds. I was about halfway finished when my exhaustion caught up with me again. I was sitting on one of the beds, trying to rest a little, when Samantha found me.

She was wearing a dress exactly like mine, and had her black hair pulled back into a bun. She approached with a worried smile.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded. "Just tired. As usual."

She frowned. "What else do you still have to do?"

"I need to finish changing the sheets on all of these beds no one ever uses and then clean the bathrooms on this floor. I think there's two of them, isn't there?"

Samantha shrugged. "Why don't you let me take care of the bathrooms. As soon as you finish the beds you can rest."

I shook my head. "No, I can't ask you to do that. You have your own assignments, and they're probably worse than mine."

Samantha smiled. "I can do it. I'm actually almost finished with mine. I had to clean the main hall and scrub the second floor windows. It's Alex that got the hard jobs."

"Like what?"

"Outside work with Finny, mostly, and then some other horrible things." She smiled brightly. "So can I please clean the bathrooms for you?"

I felt my shoulders slump a little. I hated that she felt she had to do some of my work for me, but the reality was, there was no possible way I could do everything that had been assigned to me by myself. I needed help. "Yes, please."

"Alright." Samantha said, standing up a little straighter. "I'll go do these last couple of windows over here," she walked over to the windows in the room, "and then I'll take care of that. You finish up with these beds and then get some rest."

I nodded, then stood and finished tucking in the sheets. I waved to Samantha before I left the room. She simply smiled and returned to her duties.

I finished the beds as quickly yet diligently as I could manage, only taking one other break for a moment to fight off my fatigue before continuing. Once I was finished, I disposed of the old sheets in the laundry room and made my way downstairs and outside into the garden.

Finny was there, pulling up dead flowers and weeds. He noticed me approach him and smiled. I smiled back, and then got down to help him. I just worried about pulling up anything that looked dead, and let Finny worry about the rest.

About ten minutes later, I needed another break, so I moved to sit on a stone bench nearby. I thought about poor Alex, doing all the tough jobs alone. I wished I could've been any help, but I would've only slowed him down.

 _Hey Alex,_ I called out to him. _Are you there?_

_"I'd hope so, considering you're talking to me through my mind. Need something?"_

_Not really. I was just thinking about you. What are they making you do?_

_"You honestly don't want to know."_

_I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know._

I could practically hear him sigh. _"I'm cleaning up horse poop, Selena."_

I laughed, causing Finny to give me a look. I ignored it. _Really? From where? The stables?_

_"No, from the driveway. One of the horses thought it would be hilarious. He's over here smirking at me."_

I laughed again. _Please tell me you're making this up._

_"I wish I was..."_

I ended my conversation with Alex, but still kept giggling. Finny just stared at me, confused. I shook my head, laughing too hard to answer.

Finny just shrugged and returned to weeding.

After a couple of minutes, I finally stopped laughing, and took deep breaths. Just then, Samantha showed up, seeming like she was frantically searching for something. She glanced over in my direction and sighed, then approached.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked. "I thought you were going to rest. I was so worried when I didn't see you in your room."

"I couldn't sleep." I lied.

She crossed her arms, clearly not believing me.

"Okay, another one of my chores was to come out here and help. But I like coming out here, so I didn't tell you about it."

She sighed. "People need to know where you are, Selena. Something could happen..."

"Finny knew I was here. Dad more than likely knows because he's the one that assigns most of the chores."

Samantha seemed a little heartbroken. I stood.

"Samantha, you need to stop worrying about me so much. You're starting to sound less like my friend and more like a parent. I don't want that from you."

She stared at me, unable to respond. I glanced down at the ground. I hadn't wanted to say that. I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She was only trying to protect me, but it really did feel like she was trying to be motherly, and I didn't want her to fulfill that role in my life.

She eventually sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across that way. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"I understand that, but could you please just act like you're not? Or a little less? I want my friend back."

Samantha seemed to force a smile. "Alright. I'll try my best, Sel- Um. Chrystal!"

I met her gaze and smiled. "I should get back to work. Will you check on Alex for me if you're finished. He's in a terrible mood."

Samantha laughed. "Did he tell you?"

I nodded. "Give him some words of encouragement for me. And tell him not to beat the horse."

"Alright," Samantha smiled, genuinely this time. "Don't push yourself too hard! We have to talk about everything later. I'll meet you in your room."

"Okay!" I waved to her as she walked back inside, then turned to Finny. "Is there anything left for me to do?"

Finny nodded, then told me to finish weeding. "So what was Alex doing?"

I started laughing again as I pulled weeds and told him what my brother was tasked with doing. He sighed and shook his head. I could tell he wanted to laugh, too, but he just smiled and kept working.

I smiled at him, then returned to pulling weeds in the cold winter weather.


	16. Chapter 16

Third Person POV:

Samantha was walking the halls of the Phantomhive Manor, attempting to memorize the layout. She finally felt like she had a pretty good idea of the building, and was smiling to herself about it. Eventually, she decided to take a break, and do what Selena had asked of her; to check on her brother, who was shoveling horse poop.

She tried to hide her smile as she walked out the front door and spotted him, shovel in hand, trying to scoop up a giant pile of it.

Alex glanced up, and when he saw her, rolled his eyes and got back to work.

Samantha approached him, but stayed a good distance away; the smell was revolting. "How are you holding up?" She called.

"I'd be done by now if you would stop coming over here. What do you want now?"

"'Chrystal' told me to come give you a few words of encouragement."

Alex smiled. "She did, huh?"

Samantha nodded. "And she wanted me to inform you that beating the horse would probably be a bad idea."

Alex shook his head. "Gee, how did she know my master plan?"

Samantha laughed, then went to a more serious topic. "She's just about at her limit for the day, Alex. I'm not sure how much longer she'll be able to hold out. The Earl will grow suspicious."

Alex's smile faded. "I know. I can feel it. She won't be able to work every day."

Samantha nodded. "I can try to talk to Sebastian about it. He might be able to do something. Maybe make her an errand girl or something."

"What do you mean? She can't go out into the city by herself. Someone could recognize her."

"Well then maybe I could convince them to make you her escort. It would beat shoveling manure, wouldn't it?"

Alex nodded. He suddenly felt Selena become incredibly weaker. "She can't stay outside anymore. She needs to get some rest."

Samantha nodded. "I'm meeting her in her room. Hopefully she'll realize her limits. I can't go check on her again or someone might start thinking."

"Alright."

Samantha waved to Alex, then left him to finish his job. She made her way inside, hoping Selena would be up to her room shortly.

*

Selena's POV:

I did as much gardening as I could before I felt that I couldn't continue. I had almost passed out in the flowers numerous times, and finally decided to give up. I told Finny that I needed to go back inside, and he nodded, telling me to get some rest. I smiled, then headed inside and up to my room.

I passed by another servant of the house I had never seen before. He was a tiny old man, and he was holding a steaming tea cup. I smiled as I walked by, trying to hide my exhaustion from him. He simply gave a small, yet seemingly cheerful laugh, then walked away. I stopped for a moment, confused. I eventually shook it off and continued to my room.

Once I got there, I found Samantha already waiting for me. She smiled, and I smiled back, then walked over and collapsed onto my bed.

"I told you not to work yourself too hard."

I sighed. "I know, but I didn't want anyone to think something was wrong if they saw me. How was Alex?"

She laughed. "A bit moody, to be honest. I've never seen him so upset about something."

"Then I guess you weren't around when he was so upset with Dad about keeping us from each other. He wouldn't even talk to him unless something was wrong with me."

"Yeah, I heard about that. But everything's been forgiven, right? He's not mad anymore?"

"Not that I can tell," I answered honestly. "But I really don't see them near each other that much anymore. He's always with me."

Samantha nodded. I sat up and looked at her. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can take, Samantha. Why won't my strength come back? I know for a fact that this isn't my illness. Something has to be doing this to me."

Samantha seemed shocked. "Do you mean you think it could be Nathaniel?"

I shook my head, then thought about it again. "I don't think so. I think it might've been that cage." I didn't know how to explain my thinking. I just had a feeling that it was. I had no idea how long I had been in that cage; it had felt like years of endless winter. There had been a blanket in there that was designed to help the cage sap the life force out of me, leaving me defenseless against the cage's anti-demon materials. After I had broken free from it, I immediately began trying to keep Alex alive. I hadn't had much strength then, and I still didn't. It was like the "dark magic," as a demon had described it to me, was also to keep me from healing. I told Samantha this, hoping some of it made sense.

She nodded. "Should we tell Sebastian? He might know what to do."

"I don't know. I feel like this is something that only the people who held me captive would know. Like only the person who did something like this could reverse it."

"You may be right. Still, someone should talk to him about it. I can if you want. I need to speak with him about something, anyway, and you need to get some rest."

I nodded. "Alright, thanks."

"No problem!" Samantha smiled, then left the room.

I lay myself back onto the bed, buried myself under the covers, and drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Third Person POV:

Samantha left Selena's room, closing the door behind her with a soft click. She immediately began her search for Sebastian, but when she was halfway down the stairs, she realized it might appear weird if someone saw her just randomly walking about. She quickly searched for something to do. Finding a closet filled with cleaning supplies, she grabbed a fresh-looking feather duster and began cleaning everything she saw on her way to find Sebastian.

She eventually found him in the kitchen, cooking a large chicken with speed and grace. He finished a few minutes later, then replaced his white gloves with fresh ones. Samantha was able to see the seal of his contract for just a moment before it was once again covered.

Finally Sebastian noticed Samantha standing in the doorway. He glanced at her curiously.

"Do you have a moment?" she asked him.

Sebastian smiled at her, then nodded.

She entered the room, closing the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she relayed everything she had been thinking about to him, including Selena's condition and the possible job change for both her and her brother.

Sebastian considered the information. "It may be easier for her and Alex, but I'm not sure how I feel about her going out in public."

"That's why Alex will be with her. If allowed, that is. He can protect her. And you seem to always be able to tell when she's in trouble. You can help her if need be."

Sebastian thought about it again. "I'll speak to the master. I agree it would be easier on her, but convincing him without letting him in on her situation will be a bit tougher."

Samantha nodded, shuffling her feet. "There's also something else."

Sebastian's concern grew. "What is it?"

Clearing her throat and taking a deep breath, Samantha told Sebastian what Selena had told her; that she believed her captors had done something to her that permanently took her energy away, and that there could still be some sort of dark magic continuing to take it.

The small amount of contentment Sebastian had been feeling completely vanished and was replaced by sudden terror and concern. He did his best to hide it from Samantha, but was sure she must have seen it.

"I'll look into it. Thank you for telling me."

Samantha simply nodded.

He nodded back, and Samantha then turned and left the room.

***

Selena's POV:

I awoke again to Alex sitting in a chair by the window. Seeing him there, gazing up at the night sky, brought back memories of the few nights before Serena came into existence. I smiled to myself. Things had been easier then, not knowing everything I did now. But now I had one more friend in this cruel world that hates my existence, and I was never completely alone.

Alex glanced over at me and smiled when he noticed I was awake. I smiled back and sat up. I was suddenly hit with another wave of fatigue, but I did my best to ignore it.

"Have fun cleaning up horse poop?"

Alex sighed through a smile. "Let's never bring this up again, alright?"

I laughed. "You mean you didn't like it? I'm shocked."

Rolling his eyes, Alex glanced back out the window. I was about to joke about it again when the door opened, revealing Samantha. She smiled at both of us as she entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"Selena, I talked to Sebastian about what you told me, and he's going to look into it."

I felt Alex glance at me as I nodded to Samantha. Out the corner of my eye, I could see confusion and worry cross his face, which I ignored.

"Also, he's speaking to Ciel now about the job change for the both of you."

Alex nodded, but I stared at her. It was my turn to be confused. "Job change? What job change?"

Samantha answered. "I thought it might be easier on you to have a job as more of an errand girl than actually doing anything too complicated. Everyone seemed to agree." Suddenly, her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Selena. I just can't stop worrying. I'm trying, but I just wanted to make this as easy on you as possible."

I nodded, but remained confused. "You want me to go on errands? As in _leave_ the manor? Anyone out there could recognize me and I'd be done for. How is that any easier?"

"Because Alex will be the only one with you. You don't have to keep up an act that you're perfectly fine around him, or pretend you're someone you're not. You can relax for a while, with your brother there to protect you if anything should happen."

I nodded, but honestly had no idea why my father was even considering this. Why would he send me outside where all of the hunters are? Where Nathaniel and his demon minions could be? Didn't he understand that this was a much larger risk to my life than Ciel finding out who I really was?

"Sebastian was going to speak to the boy once he got a chance, so we just need to be patient. Selena? Do you think this is a good idea?"

I stared at Samantha. It was a terrible idea. I was terrified of leaving this place without my father. If something were to happen, what was Alex supposed to do to save me? I loved him, and I knew he could defend himself, but I would just be something else he had to worry about. But I knew that if I spoke up about this, it would only cause an argument, and that was the last thing I needed. My head had begun to hurt, and I just wanted everyone to be quiet. I simply shrugged.

"I understand there are a few risks we will be taking with this, but it really is the best way to make sure the boy doesn't find out about you."

I nodded. "But we could just end up leading Nathaniel right to us."

"And that is why you will both be wearing disguises. Hopefully no one will be able to recognize you."

"The hunters out there have been searching for me for two years. I'm sure they've all memorized what I look like. There isn't much a costume can do and remain unsuspicious."

Samantha sighed. "Would you rather go out into London with your brother, or stay here, constantly resting, and drawing the attention of the other employees?"

"Honestly, Ciel is probably less of a threat than leaving is. I'd rather take my chances with the thirteen year old brat."

"Chrystal," said a voice, and I instantly froze. A moment later, the door opened, revealing my father. He closed the door behind him, and I felt myself relax.

"Did you speak with the young master?" Samantha asked.

Dad nodded. "It took some convincing, but he finally agreed." He turned to me. "I presume you've heard about your job change?"

I slowly nodded. "But Dad, there could be anyone out there. If they see me, there's nothing I can do to fight them off."

"That is why Alex is going with you. Nothing will happen to you with him by your side."

I slumped my shoulders. I knew Alex would do his best, but there was only so much he could do against armed hunters...

"Selena, you will be fine. You know I will find you if anything happens."

I sighed. I knew he would. He always did. But it still didn't lay my fears to rest.

"Once you're out there, you'll see," Samantha encouraged. "You'll be fine. Your father wouldn't have agreed if he thought you would get hurt.

I didn't respond. Samantha sighed, then left the room. Dad gave me a pat on the shoulder, before he, too, left.

I lay down on the bed, exhausted, confused, and nervous. How was Alex going to keep me safe if a mob of hunters showed up, all armed with weapons, all coming at him at once? Sure, Dad said he would get there if something happened, but what if both of them together wasn't enough? What could I do in my state that could help us?

"Hey," came Alex's voice from near the window. I jumped, startled. I'd thought everyone had left.

"What is it?" I asked, not sitting up.

"It'll be fine, alright? I haven't let anything happen to you yet, and I'm not planning on changing that."

I smiled. "I got kidnapped that one time under your watch."

I could hear the smile in his voice. "We got captured together, and I saved you. Therefore, nothing really happened."

I felt my smile fade after a moment. "But I'm scared, Alex," I whispered. "Why can't anyone see that?"

"We do, Selena."

"Then why is everyone pushing me to do this? If Dad was ordered to kill me by his master, he would refuse. He's already told me that. So why does leaving this place make me safer?"

"If Ciel finds out about you, that could lead to him finding out why the rest of us are here. He's a powerful kid. Just because Dad refuses to kill you doesn't mean he won't hire someone else to do the job and then take out the rest of us."

I lay still on the bed, trying to think clearly. Alex was right. Ciel was a threat as much as the others were, but with him risked the lives of more people than just my own. It probably wasn't what Samantha and Dad meant by sending me away for the day, but it was still true.

I rolled over to face Alex. He was staring out the window at the night sky. His messy black hair was shining, as if it was still wet from being washed. His reflection in the window was smiling. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him.

I soon felt the tug of sleep, and I quickly called out to him. "Alex."

"I'm not leaving," he said simply. I smiled, then lost myself to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

The next time I awoke, it was early morning. Alex was still in his chair, staring out the window at the red sunrise. I smiled to myself. He'd stayed.

He glanced over at me and smiled. "Morning, sunshine."

I sat up as I smiled back at him. "Did you sleep?"

He shook his head. "I don't need it."

 _Duh,_ I thought to myself. _He's not sick. Of course he doesn't need rest._

"You ready to go out?"

I didn't respond. I was still terrified by the idea of being recognized, but anything was better than Ciel trying to force my own father to kill me.

"Hey," Alex said, offering me a reassuring smile. "Nothing will happen to you. I'll make sure of it."

I wanted to believe him, but he wasn't capable of preventing anything. I simply nodded and forced a smile, attempting to ignore the rapid beating of my heart.

Alex left to get ready, and I slowly crawled out of bed. Going out into town exhausted probably wasn't the best idea, but I wasn't allowed a say in what I did anymore.

Samantha came by a few moments later, offering to help me. I gratefully accepted, and let her dress me in the disguise her and my father had so kindly picked out for me.

It was an expensive looking red dress, with lace and a matching hat. It looked like something a noble would wear, and I wasn't sure how wearing something like it was going to have people ignore me. But I was sure my father knew what he was doing.

Once I was dressed, Samantha helped me down the stairs and into the main hall of the manor. Alex was waiting there, wearing what appeared to be his usual uniform.

"Why am I all dressed up and you aren't?" I asked once I reached him.

He took my arm. "You're wearing what's called a disguise. They're very useful when you're trying to hide from someone."

I lightly hit him. "You know what I mean."

Alex smiled. "It's you they're after, not me. And if someone were to recognize you, I would need clothes that I can fight off the bad guys in. This is the best outfit for that."

"So basically I'm pretending to be a noble while you're my servant?"

"Pretty much."

"Then how are we supposed to pick up Ciel's orders?"

"We don't. He does that personally. We're just shopping." He handed me a black handbag that I somehow hadn't noticed him holding before. "Shall we?"

I gave him a worried glance. "I'm still not sure that this is the best idea..."

"Would you rather do this or risk Ciel finding out about us all?"

"But he already knows that I'm half demon. What does it matter if he finds out I'm half angel, too?"

"He's been attempting to appeal to the humanity in you. It's the only reason he's allowing you to stay and work."

I turned around at the new voice to see my father approaching us.

"It's his humanity trying to find your's. If he realizes there isn't a drop of human blood in you, then everything bad that could happen will. We don't need any more reasons for him not to trust you all."

"He doesn't trust us?" I asked, slightly surprised. "Why?"

"He's not very keen on the idea of my bringing demons into his estate."

"Makes sense." Alex chimed in.

Dad nodded, then turned to me with a soft smile. "So are you ready?"

"I guess I have to be, don't I?"

His smile turned to a frown, and he patted my shoulder. "I'll find you if anything happens, and Alex will protect you."

"I'm not worried about that anymore. What if I collapse in the middle of the street? What if we're picking out something and I just randomly pass out? Someone could take me from Alex and to a doctor or something and then they'll find out exactly what I am. Then everyone will know, not just Ciel."

"If you feel too weak-"

"Just sit in the carriage? Why, so that humans can come along and try to steal it and then take me with them?"

Dad sighed. "I know you're scared, Selena. But if anything happens, I'll find you. You trust me, don't you."

I nodded immediately. "Yes, it's the humans that scare me."

"And you have a good reason to be scared of them. But, please, let's just see how today goes. If something happens, we'll think of something else."

I reluctantly nodded, then turned from my father and toward the large doors, squeezing Alex's arm tighter.

"Let's go," I said quietly.

Alex nodded, then led me through the doors and into the carriage that would be taking us to town, and hopefully not straight into a trap.


	19. Chapter 19

We rode in the carriage all the way to town, Alex staring out the window, and me resting my head on his shoulder and never letting go of his arm.

The moment the carriage stopped, my grip tightened, and Alex placed his free hand gently on top of my head. "Do you want to wait here or go with me?"

I hesitated before answering. If I stayed, there was a chance of the carriage getting ransacked and I'd be all alone. If I went with Alex, I wouldn't be alone, but anything could happen. But I _really_ didn't want to be alone.

I lifted my head and nodded. Alex gave me a slight smile, then got out of the carriage and helped me down.

"Roleplaying time," he whispered. "I'm your servant, so you can't cling to me like that."

I glanced down at my arms that were holding onto Alex with all the strength I had. I let go with one hand and linked our arms. "I don't think I can walk on my own."

He nodded. "In that case, let me explain things if anyone asks."

I wasn't going to fight him there. Any of these people around us could be working for Nathaniel. I wasn't going to let my guard down enough to talk to anyone.

Alex led me through the busy streets of London, going from shop to shop to buy random things like china and cutlery. I smiled a little to myself. Dad must lose quite a few forks and knives every now and then if we have to buy more. That or Ciel doesn't want to use the ones that have been used to kill people. _On second thought, Ciel probably couldn't care less._

There were a couple of people that gave me weird looks, but other than that, we seemed to blend in just fine. No one came up and asked who we were, and merchants didn't question if we could pay for everything we were getting. I just assumed that the looks were because I was clinging to my "servant" and that I wasn't being recognized, which helped me relax after a little while.

When we reached the final shop, I had reached my limit, and my grip on Alex tightened slightly. Luckily, there was a bench right outside, so instead of going inside, we sat down for a break.

I tried to keep from leaning on him, attempting to keep up the act that he was my servant, but I felt myself growing weaker.

Alex must've noticed my energy fall; that or I was going pale. He wrapped his arm around me and gently forced me against him. I immediately relaxed, and felt myself drifting to sleep. But I was shocked awake when I heard a voice directed toward Alex. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep while Alex kept up our act.

"Is she alright?" a feminine sounding voice asked.

"My Lady isn't of the best of health at the moment, but she insisted on coming along. She'll be fine soon."

"Can we do anything?" asked a male voice.

I felt Alex shake his head. "Thank you for your offer, but I'll get her home as soon as she's rested a little."

The couple must've nodded or something to acknowledge Alex, then walked away. I peeked and no one was standing before us anymore.

"I don't trust them," I whispered.

"Me neither. Come on," he said, gently nudging me with his shoulder. "We should hurry."

I nodded and slowly sat up. Alex stood and helped me up, then grabbed our bags and we walked into the store to buy the last thing we needed.

**

We finished up in the store quickly so we could leave, grabbing whatever else we had been told to get and paying. Alex carried most of the stuff we had bought, and in my free hand I held a small bag. I knew it didn't really help, but at least it was something.

We made our way back to the carriage seemingly unnoticed, but just because we hadn't see anyone didn't mean they hadn't seen us. Alex helped me into the carriage, and the driver helped load everything we had bought. As soon as we were ready, we took off down the road and back toward the manor.

I rested my head against the window as we rode back. Alex kept moving his gaze from me to his hands to out the window, then back again, only to repeat it.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up.

Alex pulled his gaze from the window and looked over at me. He then looked down at his folded hands. "Just a bad feeling. It's probably nothing."

I scooted over in the seat and lay my head on his shoulder. He finally relaxed and turned, putting his arms around me. We stayed like that until we got back to the Phantomhive Manor. Once there, Alex helped me out of the carriage and inside, where Finny was waiting in the main hall.

"We thought you would have been back sooner," he said, his face bright with relief. "I was starting to worry."

I released my death grip on Alex's arm and hugged Finny with all the strength I had left. It felt like forever since I had last seen him, even though it had only been a day or so.

I felt Alex put his hand on my shoulder. I pulled back slightly to look at him, but didn't release Finny.

"I'm going to tell Dad about what happened." When I nodded, he turned his gaze to Finny. "Help her back to her room, please?"

Finny nodded. Alex patted my shoulder once more, then left to find our father. 

Once he was gone, I let myself fall against Finny, and he caught me as my legs gave out. Though his body was at first stiff from shock, he relaxed a moment later and held me, then lifted me up into his arms.

"Let's get you up to bed," he said softly.

I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder as he carried me up the stairs and to my bedroom.


	20. Chapter 20

Finny set me on my bed, then sat beside me. I leaned my head on his shoulder, too tired to hold it up myself.

"It seems like you're getting worse instead of better," Finny commented.

"It feels that way, too," I sighed. I had been getting better with sleep, but now, no matter how much rest I get, I feel worse than I did before. "I don't understand what's happening."

"It's not part of your disease? Being weak and tired?"

"The weak part, yes. Tired, I have no idea why that's happening except for what that demon told me." The thought of the demon sent chills down my spine. But I knew I didn't have to worry about him. Dad had killed him, and now hopefully anyone else who was after me had learned their lesson.

"What did they tell you?" Finny asked.

I sat up and looked at his worried face. _Has no one filled him in?_

I briefly explained to him what I had told Samantha; that I had reason to believe that the reason I wasn't getting better was some sort of dark magic or something. By the time I completed my explanation, I was completely wiped out, and returned my head to Finny's shoulder.

After a moment, Finny gently stood and lay me against the pillows. "You should get some rest."

I nodded, but the moment he turned to leave, I quickly reached out and grabbed his hand. Startled, he turned to face me.

"Don't leave me," I whispered, not having the energy to speak up.

Finny smiled, then knelt down beside me. "I'll never leave you," he said softly.

I smiled at him, closing my eyes to go to sleep, never releasing his hand.

But as I was drifting off, I felt the warm touch of his lips against my forehead, and my smiled grew as I fell into a fitful sleep.

*

The next time I awoke, it was dark out. The moon was glowing bright outside my bedroom window. The sight of the full moon made me smile. It was just so beautiful.

I glanced over to see Finny had dozed off beside me. My smile grew. It was good to see his face so relaxed. He was usually so worried about me, but whatever he was dreaming about seemed to be pleasant, and he was happy and carefree.

I sat us slowly, being careful not to shake the mattress too much and wake him. I slowly stood, testing my limits. I moved to the closet and took the stupid costume off that I had been wearing all day and hung it inside. I moved back toward the bed so I could go back to sleep in my silk white slip that had been under the costume, and sat on the bed carefully.

A moment later, the door to the room opened quietly. I glanced up to see Alex staring at me. I put my index finger to my lips, keeping him quiet. He nodded, and gestured for me to come with him. I glanced down at Finny. I didn't want him to wake up and be frightened because I wasn't there. Alex waved his hand again. This time, I stood and followed.

Once the door was closed, I turned to him. "What is it?" I whispered. "What is _so_ important it couldn't wait until morning?"

"Easy," he said, arms raised slightly, as if to ward off my accusations. "Is everything okay?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah," I answered. "I'm just really on edge right now."

"Why?" Alex asked, dropping his arms. "What's wrong?"

I took another deep breath, trying to put my thoughts into words. "I just wish everything could go back to the way it used to be. I want everyone to stop worrying about whether or not I'm going to break. I want to stop running from people. I want that medicine. I want people to see me, not some sick girl that needs to be waited on hand and foot." I tried to calm myself. My heart was beating quickly, and my voice had been gradually rising throughout my speech. "But all I really want is for everyone to smile, instead of watching me with worry, or faking a smiled for my benefit. Why am I so useless?"

I leaned against the wall as fatigue hit me. I yelled out in frustration and slid down the wall so I was sitting on the floor. "I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't mean to say all that. Or take it out on you."

Alex was quiet. _Great._ I thought. _Now my own brother won't talk to me._

A few long moments later, he knelt down beside me. "Selena," he whispered, "I don't know why you think all of those things are true. Because none of them are."

I glanced at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Even if you weren't sick, even if you weren't always on the run, all of us would still worry about you. We worry because we love you. It's what we do. Nothing will change that. And believe me, we see a lot more that just some sick girl."

"Like what?"

Alex smiled. "Well, for one, I see my beautiful sister who I would give my life for any day. Who I would risk everything to protect even if she was perfectly capable of protecting herself. I see my best friend. I see a strong girl who just hasn't had the chance to see that strength for herself."

A tear escaped my eye and I smiled at my brother.

"And I have never faked a smile to you before. Seeing that you still fight against everything you've been through is enough for me to smile at you genuinely every time."

"But Alex," I said through tears. "I don't want to have to fight anymore."

"And we don't want you to. But as soon as that medicine is ready, you won't have to."

I looked down at my hands. "Has there been any word from Maria at all? I can't go on like this."

"Not yet. We want to make sure Nathaniel has searched her before trying to contact her. We can't risk him finding us here."

I nodded and wiped the tears from my face. "I should get back inside before Finny wakes up."

Alex nodded and helped me stand. He walked me back over the the door and quietly opened it. He walked me over to the bed, and was about to leave when I jumped on him with the biggest hug I could manage. He jumped in surprise, but didn't fight me.

"Thank you." I whispered.

I sensed his smile. _Get some rest, little sis._

I nodded and released him, then crawled into bed as he left the room.


	21. Chapter 21

I lay awake for a while, staring out the window and watching the moon set and the stars fade. Finny slept for hours, and it was a small reminder to me of the fact that he was human. Being around everyone else, I almost forgot that we were all different.

I sat up and glanced at Finny, watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed at an even, healthy pace. I sighed. Would I ever be like that again?

I glanced back out the window. The sky was pink with early sunrise. I would be expected to get up soon and resume my duties as a Phantomhive maid. Alex and I had been told they would only send us out when necessary, so every other day we had to keep working here. And what with the couple Alex and I had run into, Dad was probably just fine with that.

Finny stirred, and I looked back to him, smiling as he groggily lifted his head and rubbed his eyes. He made eye contact with me and smiled back.

"Good morning," I greeted him.

"Good morning," he replied, shaking his head, trying to wake himself up.

I reached out to him and fixed a stray piece of hair that was sticking out to the side, then leaned over and hugged him. He seemed startled at first, but it didn't take long for him to put his arms around me and pull me closer to him.

I pulled away a few moments later and looked at him.

"You haven't really seen them yet, have you?" I asked him.

He stared at me in confusion. "Seen what?"

"My wings."

"I've seen your wings."

"You've seen them when it was either me or Serena. But you haven't really seen my real wings, have you?"

"Does this have to do with something I don't know about?" He seemed even more confused than before.

Suddenly I got the feeling I should have kept my mouth shut. "My wings are two different colors. You've only seen them when they were solid."

"I've seen them a couple of times, but I've always been more worried about you then actually _seeing_ them."

Finally, we were getting somewhere. "Would you like to?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead he studied me, trying to see if I was kidding around or not. I kept my serious expression. Everyone else had seen my wings. I didn't want Finny to be left in the dark anymore. If no one else was going to fill him in on what was happening, then I would; starting with letting him see my wings.

After what seemed like an eternity, he gave a slight nod.

"Pull the curtains closed." I told him, not trusting myself to get up and do it myself.

He stood and did so almost immediately, and I waited patiently until he was sat at the foot of the bed. I turned to face him, then slowly unfurled my wings.

They did so easily, which made me smile slightly. It had felt like forever since I was able to open my wings like this. I glanced from one wing to the other, then to Finny.

He was staring. Whether it was good or bad, I couldn't tell. All I could do was watch his eyes as they scanned every feather of my wings.

His eyes seemed to linger on my angel wing for reasons I couldn't think of. I stayed silent, waiting for him to say something, anything.

Instead, a knock on the door broke the silence.

I quickly folded my wings and leaned against the headboard of the bed, trying to hide my back. Finny stood and answered the door.

Alex walked in, and I sighed in relief. Once the door was closed, I spread my wings again, this time to stretch them after folding them in so quickly.

Alex's mood seemed to brighten when he saw them, and he smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Did you need something?" I asked him.

"I never got to tell you why I came up here last night," he said simply, crossing the room and sitting beside me. "Dad said the people were more than likely just concerned, but he did seem to take that bad feeling I had on the way back as something to be concerned about."

"So then what do we do now?" I asked him.

"He doesn't seem to want us to go back out anytime soon. He wants to keep us here so we aren't leading people back."

My wings drooped with my disappointment, and I moved them in front of me. "So what am I supposed to do? I can't keep up with the chores I'm given, and Ciel is going to know something is wrong when I can't work."

"I think Dad is planning on giving you simple tasks today. After everything that happened yesterday, he knows you need a break."

"And Ciel?" I asked him.

"He doesn't seem to leave his study too often. I think you'll be fine so long as he doesn't summon you to him."

That made me feel a bit better. At least I didn't have to worry about him as much. I stared down at the tips of my wings in front of me. "Alex..."

"What is it?"

I glanced up at him. "I want to fly."

He gave me a sad smile. "Once it's safe, we'll go wherever you want to go."

I simply nodded, and he leaned over and hugged me gently. I didn't move, just sat there and stroked my angel wing.

"Hey," he said, pulling away and staring at me.

I glanced up and met his eyes.

_Remember what I told you last night. Everything is going to be okay._

I nodded, then latched onto him. He held me until he had to leave, and shortly after he left, Dad walked in.

He stared at Finny for a long moment, before Finny finally got the message. "I'll be in the garden," he told me, then walked out.

Dad then turned to me and smiled. I smiled back, then he cleared his throat and handed me a folded piece of paper. "Your chores for the day, Chrystal."

I took the paper from him and unfolded it. I was immediately confused. I showed him the paper. "But there's nothing on it."

He just kept smiling at me.

My face broke out into a huge grin. I stood and hugged my father tight. He managed to give me a free day. And I knew exactly how I was going to spend it.


	22. Chapter 22

It didn't take long for me to find my way out the front door and into the gardens. I hugged my arms to me in an attempt to ward off the winter's chill.

I found Finny immediately. He was trimming what was left of the rosebushes back to a reasonable size, occasionally pulling a few stray weeds that had somehow managed to survive the cold snow.

It didn't take him much longer to catch me watching him. He smiled when he saw me, and I ran over to him and sat beside him in the snow dusted dirt.

"So what did he give you today?" he asked.

I smiled and showed Finny the blank paper.

He tilted his head slightly. "Nothing? Then shouldn't you be resting?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to spend all day stuck in bed. I want to be with someone, and no offense, but you'll be out here all day. It's easier to stay here with you than wander around with someone else."

"In that case, I've never been happier to have such a stationary job," he smiled.

My smile grew, and I latched onto him in a tight hug. He laughed and hugged me back, then released me and turned back to the roses. His smile saddened slightly. "This is the last of the roses..."

I followed his gaze to the flowers before us. Most of them were wilting away, with dried brown leaves and limp thorns. Even the black and white one was finally beginning to wither away. "They'll come back in the spring, right? And for now, you can always decorate the garden with statues or winter flowers or something, can't you?"

Finny nodded. "The white roses are the Master's favorite. I just hope he won't be too disappointed."

"Finny, flowers die. It's part of life." I waited a beat, then mumbled to myself, "At least _they_ will come back..."

Finny leaned over to me. "What was that?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"Selena, if this is about you're-"

"Finny, believe me. For the first time, it's nothing to do with me."

He stared at me for a long moment, then slowly reached out and took my hand in his. "You're scared of something, Selena."

"Yes, I am. But I'm scared of a lot of things. It doesn't take a scientist to see that."

Finny crawled closer to me. "Can you tell me what's troubling you right now? I'd like to help if I can."

I stared at him. "But you can't, Finny. You can't do anything about this fear. No one can." I pulled away from him and stood.

He jumped up right after me. "Hey, what's going on? You're not usually like this."

I stared at him through tears that I refused to let fall. "You don't understand, Finny. And you never will."

He glanced down at the dirt. "You can let me try."

I took a deep breath, trying desperately to control the wide range of emotions I was feeling. "Life ends."

He seemed taken aback for a moment. "What?"

"Life ends. Humans die."

He seemed to be beginning to understand. "Yeah, that's how it works for us."

"So one day, you're going to die, and I'll still be here all by myself."

His confusion faded to sympathy as he finally understood. "Selena-"

"I'm scared of losing you, Finny!" I interrupted him. "I- I really..."

He came a step closer to me and took my hand.

I took a deep, shuddering breath. Then my thoughts fell from my mouth likes a waterfall, and u couldn't stop them. "I'm scared to let myself love you, Finny. Because one day, you'll be gone, and I'll be here, spending the rest of eternity missing you." A tear escaped my eye, and I looked away from him.

"Hey," he said, gently grabbing my neck with his free hand and forcing me to look at him. "I've been living with the same fear. The fear that your illness is going to steal you away from all of us. And that I'll live out the rest of my life grieving you."

More tears fell down my face. He wiped one away with his thumb.

"But that doesn't stop me from enjoying every second you have here with us. It doesn't stop me from loving you."

At that, my resolve not to cry broke. I let out a loud sob and threw my arms around him, crying loudly, not caring who heard.

"I love you, Finny. I love you so much." I said between sobs.

"Then don't worry about the future until it's here. Enjoy what we have now."

I tightened my arms around him. "Then you can't either. I promise, I won't stop fighting this illness or those stupid hunters."

He pulled back and looked me in the eyes. He nodded, smiling.

I smiled, wiped the tears from my cheeks, and kissed him.

He immediately kissed me back, gently pulling me closer to him. My hands snaked around his neck as he pulled me closer by my waist. After what felt like forever, but was still too soon, he pulled away for air. I smiled as he panted, then hugged him, laying my head on his shoulder and staring past him at the dying roses.

A moment later, I saw something move out the corner of my eye. I pulled away from Finny and looked in the direction of the movement.

"What is it?" he asked, following my gaze.

I found it a moment later; a large man, dressed in black, hiding in the shadows of the trees.

"Finny, there's a man hiding over there." I glanced away and started listening instead, hoping the man hadn't noticed that I'd spotted him.

"What?" He asked, turning around.

I hugged him again, forcing him to turn back around.

"He's pulled a gun." I said calmly. Finny stilled. "Go inside and tell my father. Act like you're going to get something we forgot. I'll stay out here."

"Selena-"

"If he really wanted to kill me, he would've by now. I'm more likely to survive a gunshot wound than you are." I looked him in the eyes and smiled, knowing the man could still see my face. "I can't lose you yet, Finny."

He reluctantly nodded, then perked up and went inside.

I got back onto my hands and knees and started pulling weeds. A moment later, I heard footsteps and the sound of a gun being cocked.

I glanced up at the man before me. He was even larger up close, and much more intimidating. Especially since I was staring right into the barrel of his gun.

"What's a pretty little lady like you doing outside all by yourself?" he asked, smirking.

I stood, dusting the dirt from my knees. "And what's a man like you hiding in the trees until I'm out here all alone?"

"Tell me, is this the Phantomhive Manor?"

"That depends. Who's asking?"

"The man standing before you with a gun pointed at your head, that's who. Now is he here or isn't he?"

"He's here. Now what do you want with my father's master?" I asked calmly.

He squinted his eyes at me. "Is your father the crazy butler I was warned about?"

I didn't answer him. I just kept smiling.

He pushed his gun closer to my face. "Answer me, girl!"

"Now, if I gave away my father's identity, and you were able to track him down, what kind of daughter would I be?" I mimicked my father's closed eyed smile.

"That's it!" he screamed, then pulled the trigger on his gun.

But I didn't flinch.

I opened my eyes a moment later to see the bullet had been caught not an inch away from my face by a familiar gloved hand.

I looked up at my father. "You've done better."

"My apologies, but there isn't much distance between the gun and your face. I did my best."

The man before us raged and yelled something I couldn't understand. The next thing I knew, the Manor was surrounded by men dressed in similar black clothes.

Dad didn't flinch. "Tell me, what did you think killing an innocent young girl would accomplish in your endeavors to find my master?"

The man smirked, pointing the gun to my father. "So you're the butler I've heard so much about."

Dad just smiled. "It seems my reputation precedes me. Chrystal, please go inside."

The man moved his gun to me. "No, you stay right where you are little lady. Or I'll kill you and your dad over here."

I heard Dad sigh. "You told him?"

"I wasn't thinking."

Dad shook it off. "It doesn't matter. Either way, I still would've had to kill them all. Go inside and make sure no one gets inside. Have Alex help you."

"Alright," I said, then turned to leave.

"Stop right there!!" The man yelled.

I kept walking.

The gun fired, but I didn't dodge, and neither did Dad. Instead, I turned to face the bullet, and it bounced off my chest and landed on the ground. I smirked at the man, who had lost his own.

"H-how did...?"

I turned back to the manor, closing my eyes momentarily to merge again with Serena, then opened them again and headed inside.


	23. Chapter 23

Once the large doors swung closed behind me, I reached out for the wall. It had taken a lot of energy to split away from Serena and then almost immediately merge back. I could feel her inside me; her worry was mixing with my fatigue, and it made a very unpleasant feeling inside of me.

I made it to the wall before I could collapse, and I waited there for a second. I shook my head, wiped at my eyes, anything I could think of to get rid of the exhaustion that continued to creep in on me. Why? Why was I so exhausted? If it really was some kind of dark magic, how would we get rid of it? I needed answers, but, at the same time, I needed rest.

Just then, Finny came running down the stairs toward me. He seemed relieved to see me okay, but as soon as he got close enough to actually see me, his relieved smile was lost to a frown of worry.

"What happened?" he asked, moving my hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear. "Are you alright?"

I nodded, then proceeded to slide down the wall and sit on the floor.

"Selena?!" he asked urgently, kneeling beside me. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer him. I was beginning to see double, and every time I shook my head to snap out of it, it came right back.

I felt Finny patting my cheek. "Hey, stay with me! What happened?!"

My head lolled the the side. I was too exhausted to stop it.

"Selena!!"

And against my will, I passed out in Finny's arms.

*

Third Person POV:

"Selena!!" Finny nearly screamed as she passed out in his arms. He held her gently, not sure what to do. She was burning up, and Sebastian was still outside dealing with the man Selena had found.

As he was thinking, he heard a loud gasp from the top of the stairs, glancing up, he noticed it was Mey-Rin. She was carrying a stack of books, which she immediately dropped and flung herself down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she ran to Finny and Selena.

"Oh, my! What happened to Chrystal?!"

Finny shook his head. He couldn't tell her much of anything. Did she already know anything about Selena?

"I just found her like this. She has a fever, too." Finny said. It was all he could do.

Mey-Rin reached out a touched Selena's forehead with the back of her head, she pulled back a moment later. "She does have a fever, yes she does. We should take her somewhere to rest!"

Finny nodded, then stood, holding the sleeping Selena in his arms. He carried her up the stairs and into her room, where he gently placed her on the bed. Mey-Rin entered the room a moment later with a cold wash cloth and draped it over Selena's forehead.

"I hope this helps." She said, backing away.

There was a moment of silence between them, then the door to the room burst open.

"Where is she?" Alex demanded. "I-" he stopped when he saw Mey-Rin.

"She's here," Finny said, pointing. He had to intervene before Mey-Rin asked questions. "I found her on the floor in the main hall."

Alex walked over and sat on the bed, next to Selena. He gave her a soft smile. "I've been looking all over for you, and you decide to take a nap on the floor? Really, Chrystal?"

Mey-Rin turned away. I'll leave you all alone now." Then she ran from the room, in what Alex assumed to be her rushing back to work.

"What really happened?" Alex asked, now that the strange maid was gone.

"I heard her come inside and I found her leaning against the wall. The she just slowly passed out."

Alex stared at his sister. Was she just exhausted again? But that wouldn't explain such a fever.

"I'll go find Dad and see if he knows anything." Alex said, starting to stand.

Finny stopped him. "No, he's busy."

"What's more important than his daughter? He'll drop what he's doing and come up here."

Finny sighed. "There was a man outside spying on the manor. He's out there taking care of him."

"Wait, and you told me Selena came inside before you found her? Was she out there by herself with him?"

Finny reluctantly nodded.

"Why wasn't someone with her?! She could've gotten hurt!"

"She told me to come inside and find Sebastian, so that's what I did. She knew what she was doing."

Alex sighed. "Then I'm going out there to help him finish this guy off. He needs to come up here now."

Just then, the door swung open to reveal Sebastian.

"I'm here to inform you that everything has been taken care of." His eyes then focused on his daughter, the wet cloth on her head, her flushed cheeks.

"She collapsed shortly after she came inside," Finny told him. "Mey-Rin and I brought her up here."

Sebastian nodded. A moment later, he sighed, and turned his gaze to his son and Finny. "I'll call Maria and have her over as soon as possible. Please, at least one of you stay with her until then."

Alex and Finny nodded simultaneously. Sebastian nodded back, then left to call Maria.

Alex chuckled softly. "I knew the whole crew couldn't stay away from each other for too long."

A moment later, the door opened again, and Samantha ran through and stopped right next to Selena.

"Oh, I heard everything from Sebastian. Is she going to be alright?"

Finny shrugged, but Alex nodded. He didn't want her to worry any more than she already did. "She'll be fine once Maria gets here."

"Thank goodness!" Samantha sighed in relief. She turned to Selena. "Stop scaring me like this!"

Alex and Finny laughed. Samantha crossed her arms, but not before slapping the boys for laughing at her. 


	24. Chapter 24

Third Person POV:

Maria arrived about 5 hours later. She knocked on the door to the large Phantomhive Estate, and was greeted seconds later by Sebastian.

Maria smiled at him. "Seems to be awfully hard to get rid of me, wouldn't you say?"

Sebastian, however, was too worried about his daughter upstairs for jokes. "Follow me," he said, then walked away, not waiting to see if the reaper would follow.

Maria rushed to catch up with him, growing more and more worried about Selena with each step they took. _What happened to her?_ She thought. _Is it really this serious?_ If it was, why call her instead of the demons at the old manor they had stayed at before? They seemed much more equipped to treat Selena, anyway. What could she do to help that they could not?

They reached Selena's room a few minutes later. It took so long, in fact, that Maria was positive she would need a guide if she ever needed to leave.

Sebastian knocked on the door, and it creaked opened moments later to reveal Alex. He let them inside, then quickly closed it again, wanting to keep the room as uncrowded as possible.

Maria hurried over to Selena, who was sleeping on the soft white bed. With one look at the girl, she knew it wasn't good. But she wasn't very good at knowing what was wrong with Selena. She knew little to nothing about the illness that plagued the poor girl before her.

Samantha, who had been in the corner of the room, spoke up suddenly, "Will she be okay, Maria?"

Alex glanced over to her when she spoke. She hadn't sounded like someone who had to take care of Selena. Instead, she sounded like her old self; she sounded like a concerned friend.

Maria lowered her head. "I'm not sure I'll be able to answer your question."

Alex looked to Maria, confused. "What do you mean?"

The reaper sighed. "I honestly don't know much of anything about your sister's illness. If that is what's causing this, then I can't give you a definite answer."

"Can't you test her for anything else?" Alex asked, his concern for his sister growing. "Then we can narrow it down to her illness."

"It already is narrowed down to her illness. Demons can't get sick any other way."

"What about angels?" Samantha inquired.

Maria simply shook her head.

"So, what?" Alex asked in disbelief. "Is she just in a coma until we can get her medicine figured out?"

Maria shrugged.

Sebastian left the room, holding and shaking his head.

"Alex, believe me, I'm working on the medicine. I already have a few of the ingredients figured out, and they should be easy to find. But there are at least two others that I can't seem to match to anything I have."

"Angelina said the ingredients were rare to the angels, and could easily be found on Earth, right?"

Maria nodded. "But there are so many things on this large planet. It would take ages to go through them all."

"Then you had better get started." Alex gave Maria a hard gaze. "I won't let her die, Maria."

Maria smiled. "I should hope not. It would make you an awful brother."

She straightened herself from leaning over Selena and made her way to the door. The next time she spoke, her voice was filled with sorrow. "If she doesn't wake up in 24 hours, have your father call over the demons who were helping her in that manor. They may know what to do. In the meantime, I'll be working on the medicine." She glanced over to Samantha, trying to smile. "Will you help me find my way out of here, dear?"

Samantha smiled and nodded, then led Maria out of the room and toward the main hall.

Alex turned as the door closed and took in his sister's appearance. She looked almost normal, as if she really was only sleeping. He wished it could be that simple.

He approached and sat in a chair beside her. Gently, he took her hand in his and held it. She was warm to the touch, no doubt because of her insane fever, and her arm was limp. Alex felt the urge to cry for his sister, but forced it away. He had to stay strong for her. If he couldn't, what kind of brother would he be?

*

Sebastian, filled with dismay, had his head in his hands as he made his way out his daughter's bedroom and into the hallway. He was trying his best to keep his composure, but his resolve was fading fast. Selena? In a coma? What was happening?

He past Finny in the hall, but didn't acknowledge him as he made his way to his bedroom. He fell onto the white bed and let out a loud sigh. His whole world was slipping away. First Angelica, now Selena. He couldn't bare the thought of it. What if something happened to Alex next?

He wanted to punch something; he wanted to kill something. He had to get out his frustration somewhere or he would lose it. But then he heard the chime of a clock somewhere in the manor. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

It was close to dinner time for Ciel. Putting away his pocket watch, Sebastian stood and made his way down to the kitchen.

Chopping a chicken was going to have to do.


	25. Chapter 25

Selena's POV:

I heard them. I could hear everyone; my brother, my father, Samantha, and... Maria? What was she doing here? What was happening?

I was recognizably in the world between life and death. I had been there so many times with Mom, that it was hard to mistake it for anything else. This time, however, it was different. This time I couldn't wake up.

I tried countless times to focus on the voices I was hearing. They sounded concerned. I was scaring them again. I didn't want to do that anymore. I was supposed to be strong!

I screamed in frustration and curled up into a ball, trying to hold back the tears. What was happening? Why couldn't I leave?

It was deafeningly quiet, and the absence of sound only made it harder to bear. I calmed myself enough to focus my energy, and I split with Serena.

When I opened my eyes, she was standing before me, her eyes filled with sympathy. I curled back up into my ball. "What's happening to me?"

Serena sat beside me. "By the sounds of it, you're in a coma."

I looked up at her, confused and shocked at the same time. "What? Why? How?"

"It sounded like Maria is blaming your illness. You probably overexerted yourself when that man showed up." Then she smiled. "You did a great job, though."

I ignored her compliment. "So I can't wake up?"

Serena frowned, then shook her head.

"But can _you_ wake up?"

Her frown grew. "Selena, I don't think it would be wise to-"

"Oh, Serena, please!" I interrupted. "You have to go out there and fill me in on what's happening. Plus, Ciel can't know what's wrong with me. I need you to pretend to be me. Please!"

"Selena, all I would be doing is disappointing them when they see our body wake up. They don't want me out there. They want you."

"But if you don't go out there, Ciel could find out and have us killed, or throw our body out, or who knows what. Please, Serena. You have to."

Serena sighed, and I knew I was cracking through her resolve. What else could I say to convince her?

"What else did Maria say?" I asked.

"She said she thinks there are only a couple more ingredients she needs to identify in your medicine, and that she needs to obtain the ones she knows about."

"You could go help her look! Serena, I don't want to be stuck in here forever, and that's exactly what's going to happen if you don't go out there and help."

I could practically see the crack in her resolve grow bigger.

"Let me think about it, alright?"

I nodded, knowing it was as much as I would get out of her for now. Then I simply sat in the silence and waited.

***

Third Person POV:

For the next few hours, Alex stayed with his sister. He paced back and forth in her room, sat beside her, held her hand, and even tried talking to her. He never got so much as a twitch.

Eventually, Samantha came back into the room and relayed to him that Maria was going to go back to her lab and work continuously until she figured out the last few ingredients. Alex only nodded, and Samantha left again, saying she was going to get Selena's chores done for her.

After a few more hours of pacing, Alex grew frustrated. He hadn't heard anything from anyone, Selena hadn't moved, and Sebastian hadn't even been in to check on her.

Alex wanted to go talk some sense into him, but knew he couldn't leave Selena. No one knew when she would wake up, and Alex wasn't going to let her be alone when it happened.

He wasn't going to lose her. Not when the had just found each other.

He was never going to lose her again.

***

Selena's POV:

It had been hours since Serena told me she was going to think over everything I had asked of her. I couldn't handle the silence anymore. It was too much.

"Serena?" I called out quietly, testing my voice against the silence.

"Yes?" she responded, looking at me.

"Please, I can't take this silence anymore."

"Calm down, Selena. You'll only make matters worse by stressing over all of this."

"How am I supposed to do that? I'm apparently in a coma!" I felt the tears threatening my eyes again. Quietly, I whined, "I just want to wake up."

Serena gazed at my sympathetically. "I know you're scared, Selena, but everything will work out. It always does."

"You don't understand. Mom was trapped in this place for eleven years before she died. I don't want the same thing to happen to me."

"Selena, Mom was here because someone tried to kill her. She never made it back out because her killer finally succeeded in their efforts. You _will_ get out of here."

"How did she bear the silence?"

"That's another thing," she said, pulling me to face her. "Selena, if I leave, there will be no one in here to talk to. No one will be able to break the awful silence."

"But can't we still talk like we used to? Like when I was in control and you still talked to me."

"I'm not sure if you will be able to get through to me. You're body is practically rejecting you. I don't know if it will let your voice reach out or not."

I thought for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I don't care if I'm stuck in the silence. The sooner Maria finds everything she needs, the sooner I'll be out of here."

Serena stared at me for a moment, as if testing my resolve. I stared back, never more sure of any decision I'd ever made. Finally, she cracked a smile.

"You may not believe me, but you're very brave."

"What?" I asked, confused.

She didn't respond. "I'll come back to check on you often."

And with that, I watched as she ascended and left the world between life and death. 


	26. Chapter 26

Third Person POV:

As soon as Serena knew she was in full control of Selena's body, she immediately reached out to the angel.

_Selena, can you hear me?_

_"Loud and clear."_ The happiness in her voice was almost overwhelming.

 _Good,_ Serena thought with a sigh of relief. If she hadn't been able to contact Selena, she wouldn't have gone through with any of this. She wasn't leaving her to the silence that had been consuming her.

Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Selena?"

It was a hopeful Alex.

Heartbroken, Serena spoke. "Don't get too excited." She opened her eyes and slowly sat up, not looking in his direction. She stretched her wings, giving him the information he needed without having to see his expression fall.

Alex's eyes focused on Serena's raven black wings and felt his heart drop to his stomach. But after a moment of thought, he felt it raise back up again. If Serena could wake up....

"Is Selena okay? What happened?"

Serena let out a sigh, then turned her blood red eyes on Alex. His urgent and pleading expression only made her feel worse about everything. She looked down at her hands.

"Selena is.... stable."

Alex dropped his pleading expression for one of confusion, even though he knew Serena couldn't see it. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's complicated, Alex. All I know is that her soul is trapped in the world between life and death, just like your mother's was. She's tried to leave like she did before, but she can't. It's almost as if her connection with this body has been severed. But she's with me. I can communicate with her, and she can hear most of what happens out here."

That seemed to change things. "Selena?"

Serena closed her eyes. _Do you have a message you would like for me to pass on?_

Trapped in her world, Selena nodded.

A moment later, Serena opened her eyes and quoted, "'I'm alright, Alex. I promise. Help Maria and Serena finish my medicine so I can come back. I love you so much, big brother.'"

Alex smiled sadly. "I will, Selena. And I love you, too."

After a long, content moment, Alex's questions came flooding out again. "So only Selena was affected by whatever happened earlier?"

Serena nodded. "She is the only one of us that used our strength to help fend off the attacker. She used too much energy and she slipped under, I suppose."

Alex began pacing back and forth, massaging his temples, trying to make sense of the information he'd been given. "So you are perfectly fine?"

"More or less. I am stuck out here taking care of Selena's chores and making sure Ciel doesn't think anything suspicious of us."

Alex cracked the smallest of smiles. "So I guess any free time we get will be devoted to finding the ingredients Maria needs for the medicine?"

"Of course. Were you hoping for anything different?"

Alex quickly became defensive. "No! I would never want anything else than to help my sister get back to us. I just wanted clarification, I guess."

Serena nodded. "Of course. I suppose I'm also just anxious to get her back to us. But there is one more problem that lies before us, and must to solved before we can do anything else."

Alex cocked his head in confusion. "And that is...?" he asked, then waited for Serena to finish his sentence.

"Who is going to tell Dad?"

Alex felt his heart drop again. Who would tell Sebastian that only half of his daughter was okay? If he were to see Serena, he may get too excited, then become devastated once he realized it wasn't who he wanted. That really only left one other option.

"I guess I have to."

Serena only nodded, knowing what would happen if she were the one to tell him.

A moment later, the door of the room opened slowly, and Samantha walked in. She closed the door before glancing up.

"Selena?" she asked cautiously.

"Sorry, Samantha," Serena said, then watched the girl as it clicked who she was, and watched her face go from caution to confusion.

"Serena?" she tried again.

Serena nodded, then turned to Alex. "I'll explain to her. Why don't you go tell Dad, alright? I wish you luck."

Alex gave a forced smile and nodded, then left the room to find his father and deliver the bittersweet news. 


	27. Chapter 27

Selena's POV:

After Alex left to find Dad, and Samantha was filled in on the situation, I felt Serena's hesitation on what to do next. She wanted to follow Alex to see what would happen, but knew better of it. If Dad saw her...

After Samantha left, Serena asked aloud, "Do you think he'll take the news okay?"

I thought for a moment. Clearly, she was talking to me. Why she hadn't talked to me in our mind, I wasn't completely sure.

_"I'm not sure. I would think he would, considering it means we have a fighting chance. But if what happened to you last time you took over happens again..."_

I could feel Serena's smile. "Don't worry about me. I know my limits. I won't stay longer than I have to."

I smiled. My illness had been trying to kill her a few weeks ago. I couldn't let that happen again, even if I had little control of what my body did in my current situation.

 _"Hey,"_ she called out to me in my mind. _"Don't worry about me, or anything else that happens out here. Your job is to focus on waking up."_

I nodded, blinking back a sudden wave of tears. She was right. I couldn't do anything from where I was, and worrying about everyone else wouldn't help my situation. All I could do was wait until I was finally able to wake up.

 _"Someone has to tell Maria."_ I called out a moment later.

Serena nodded. "And Angelina. She may have some idea of what to do."

I nodded, then we both fell silent. I knew my new job would be to contact my aunt when I was strong enough, but with my current state, and the fact that every moment felt like my life force was slowly being taken away, there wasn't much I could do.

So we sat there in the sun lit room, waiting for Alex to return with our hopefully happy father.

*

Third Person POV:

As Alex explained the situation to his father, he wasn't able to read his expression. Sebastian kept his eyes closed, as if letting all of the information sink in. When Alex finally ended his explanation, his father let out a long sigh, but said nothing.

"So?" Alex asked after a long moment of silence. "What do we do now?"

Sebastian finally opened his eyes, but did not turn to face his son. He was staring off into space, lost in his thoughts.

"Dad?"

After another moment, Sebastian came back to reality, shaking his thoughts from his head. He gave his son a small smile, but knew he couldn't hide his disappointment. He wanted his daughter back, but if Serena was able to wake up, surely Selena could, too.

"I'll be up to see them shortly. We'll discuss this more then."

Alex nodded, then turned and left the room to go back to his sister's side. But as he rounded the corner leading into the hall, he felt himself walk right into someone, knocking them to the ground.

It only took a moment for Alex to see that it was Finny. He reached out to help the gardener stand, about to apologize,+ but it was as if Finny couldn't see the hand Alex had placed right in his line of sight.

It was then Alex realized he had heard everything.

Alex took back his hand and sighed. "Finny..."

Finny just sat on the ground, lost in thought. Selena. _His_ Selena, was trapped, and couldn't get out.

"What can I do?" Finny spoke so softly that Alex almost didn't hear it.

"There isn't much any of us can do for right now. We all have to play along and pretend Serena is Selena. Ciel can't get suspicious, and we can't look for ingredients for the medicine until we get the list from Maria."

Finny felt his heart drop even further than when he first heard the news. How could he pretend that everything was alright?

But instead of arguing in the middle of the hall, Finny simply nodded to Alex, then stood on his own and made his way outside to the gardens, wanting to be alone to think.

*

When Alex finally arrived back in his sister's room, he noticed she was sitting up, eyes closed. She didn't seem to notice the opening or closing of the door as he entered. _They must be talking,_ he thought to himself.

A moment later, Serena opened her eyes. She jumped when she saw him from the corner of her eye, then relaxed as she realized it was no one to worry about.

"Sorry for frightening you," Alex said with half a smile.

Serena gave him a small one in return. "Don't be. I was just talking to Selena and didn't hear you enter. I apologize for being a bit jumpy. It isn't like me. I'm usually the braver half..."

Alex waved it off. "You have a lot going on right now. If I'd been Ciel, you probably would still be mortified."

Serena hung her head and nodded.

Alex suddenly got the feeling he had said the wrong thing. She'd just been saying how she was supposed to be brave. How could he say something like that to make her feel worse?

"Anyway," Alex said, wanting to change the subject and break the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Dad said he'd be up soon to talk everything over with us. Until then, we should probably just stay in here. Samantha is going to cover Selena's chores for now, but that won't be able to last forever."

Serena nodded, being sure to listen for Selena in case she had any input. The situation was still so bizarre. Why couldn't she wake up? What would happen to the both of them if she never woke up?

Alex stopped talking as he noticed Serena clench her fists. Her eyes began to glow a bit brighter, and the black fog she'd had before had returned, but faintly, like a dull mist. He watched as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"Are you alright, Serena?" he asked gently, not wanting her bubbling anger to erupt from within her.

Serena slumped over, her shoulders in front of her, holding her head in her hands. Alex feared she had fallen unconscious again, and rushed to her side. What he saw instead broke his heart far more than he thought possible.

For the first time, that he had seen, Serena was crying. Silent sobs shook her body, and Alex could only sit there and watch. 


	28. Chapter 28

When Sebastian finally mustered up the strength to enter his daughter's room, what he saw shocked him.

Serena's eyes, puffy from crying, were glowing a bright crimson. Her black fog was dense, and seemed to fill the room. Alex, who seemed to have idea what was going on, just watched her, fear and sympathy both clearly painted on his face.

Alex glanced up as Sebastian entered, not knowing what to do. Serena sat there, no longer crying. She was still slumped over, but she had returned her clenched fists to her sides.

Sebastian gestured for Alex to leave the room. He did so, but stood on the other side of the door, watching as Serena's black mist attempted to seep through the crack beneath the door.

Turning to his daughter, Sebastian let his eyes glow bright, so he could be seen through the dense fog. He approached her carefully.

"Serena."

She looked up at him, her fear and anger dancing in her glowing eyes. They held each other's gaze, Sebastian's knowing, her's angered, for a long time, as if the world would explode should one of them look away.

After minutes of them fighting each other with their eyes, Serena's anger softened and turned to the purest and most heartbreaking sadness Sebastian had ever seen come from his daughter. She unclenched her fists and buried her face in her hands. The mist filling the room soon faded, and Sebastian let the bright light fade from his eyes, then approached his crying daughter.

He sat on the edge of her bed, then wrapped his arms around her. Serena leaned into his arms; not for comfort, but in hope that contact with her father would somehow bring Selena back to them. She knew it wouldn't work, but she was desperate and willing to try anything.

"We will get her back, Serena." Sebastian said, his voice soft. She didn't look up.

"She's still with you, correct?" he asked, hoping for some kind of response. To his relief, she gave a slight nod.

"I will get in contact with Maria as soon as possible. Selena will have to try to contact Angelina. They will know what to do from there."

Serena nodded again.

"Also," Sebastian said, lowering his voice. He wasn't sure how well Selena could hear the outside world, and didn't want her to hear this. "I need you to keep me informed. If she gets any weaker, or feels any further away, I need to know. I have a bad feeling that if we don't save her soon, she'll drift into nothingness and cease to exist."

Serena gasped, her eyes beginning to water again. She wouldn't let that happen. She wasn't going to let Selena die. Not after everything she's been through while fighting to live.

She quickly shook away the tears and sat up a little straighter, then looked up to her father and nodded. "I swear I'll tell you everything. I won't lose her."

Sebastian smiled. "Good."

*

Once Serena had finally calmed herself, Sebastian allowed Alex back into the room.

"Is everything alright? What happened?" he asked as he entered, being sure the door latched behind him.

"I was-" Serena's voice broke as she tried to explain herself, and tears began to flow from her eyes once again. "I'm terrified. Nothing either of us are doing is helping Selena. I don't want anything bad to happen to her."

Alex calmed himself and gave Serena a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure there is something that can save her."

Serena stared up at him through tears. "But what if there isn't?"

Sebastian interrupted before anyone could say anything else. "Now is not the time to be discussing the unknown. We must think of a plan of action."

Alex nodded, while Serena stared down at her clasped hands.

"First of all, someone needs to contact Maria and see if she can come here. It will be easier on all of us if we are working from the same place, and we will not be permitted to leave the young master again."

Alex and Serena both nodded.

"Once Maria gets here, Alex, you and Samantha will be in charge of finding the ingredients needed for the medication." Sebastian turned his attention from his son and to his distressed daughter. "Once the medicine is prepared, you can merge back with Selena again, correct?"

Serena glanced up and nodded. "Yes, that won't be an issue."

Sebastian gave her an encouraging smile, then turned back to his son, his expression turning grave. "Alex, you must remember than Nathaniel is still out there somewhere. I need you and Samantha both to be on your guard. Serena will not be able to fight him off in her state. If someone starts following you, be sure to lose them somewhere before heading back here."

Alex nodded.

Sebastian glanced back at Serena. "Make sure Selena is still trying to contact Angelina, but don't allow her to use up all of her energy. Remember what we discussed."

Serena nodded.

"Also, keep Finny informed of any progress. He will be worried if he isn't. We can't have him distracted and kill all of the master's flowers, now can we?"

Alex gave a nod and a small smile. He already knew how devastated Finny was. He wouldn't let him stay that way.

"We will continue this discussion once Maria arrives. I'd better go send for her."

"But what about Ciel?" Serena asked. "Won't he be angry if you invite another guest to the house?"

Sebastian gave his daughter a reassuring smile. "Let me worry about the young master. You two need to focus on other things."

With that, Sebastian stood from his perch on the bed and left the room to call Maria.

"What do we do now?" Serena asked Alex after the door closed.

"The only thing we can do." Alex said. "We wait."


	29. Chapter 29

Selena's POV:

As the hours passed, I sat listening to the world outside. I couldn't make out much, but I could hear whatever Serena said or thought, which gave me enough information to put together that it I didn't wake up soon, I never would.

After Dad left the room, I listened to Alex and Serena as they discussed simple things, trying to keep themselves distracted from the truth, from what was happening right in front of them. As they talked, I could almost make out everything Alex said. Whether it was because he was my brother, or I was just getting better at focusing on voices, I wasn't sure.

Knowing I was of no help to any of them, I closed my eyes and sighed. I tuned out Alex and Serena, and tried my best to call out for Angelina. I wasn't going to get any stronger, by the looks of it. If I wasn't able to reach her now, than I never would.

 _Angelina!_ I called out. _Angelina, I need you! Please, hear me!_

The voice that answered my desperate pleas was faint, but unmistakably the angel I had wanted to hear.

_Angelina! Thank goodness!_

_"What is the matter, child? Tell me everything. Start from the beginning."_

And so I told her.

*

Third Person POV:

_"Serena!"_

Serena jumped when she heard Selena scream. She and Alex had fallen into a comfortable silence, and the loud voice in her head frightened her, and Alex gave her a questioning look.

Closing her eyes, Serena acknowledged her other half. _Selena? What's wrong? Did something happen?_

_"I-"_

_Selena?_

When she didn't get an answer, Serena opened her eyes and looked at Alex, her alarm clear on her face.

"I have to go check on Selena."

Alex nodded. "Alright. I'll watch over you."

Serena thanked him, then lay herself down on the bed and went inside of her mind to find her other half.

*

As Alex gazed at his sister's motionless body, all he could do was sigh.

This was not what he signed up for when he decided to speak with the helpless victims of scientists and hunter in that hotel that night. While he didn't regret getting the opportunity to meet his sister and father, he'd had no idea things would get this bad.

He wanted nothing more than to help Selena get better and stay safe. He knew he was meant to protect her, and wondered if she would even still be alive if he hadn't decided to help that fateful night.

He immediately shook the thought from his head. He didn't want to think about the possibility that Selena could've died without him. He didn't want to imagine anything bad happening to his sister. He was going to make sure she got better; he was going to help her defeat the hunter and scientists once and for all.

The door creaked open, stirring Alex from his thoughts. He looked up to see Sebastian entering the room, followed shortly by Samantha and Finny.

"What happened?" Sebastian asked Alex. The others, after hearing Sebastian's words and realizing Serena wasn't just sleeping, quickly gained expressions of worry and fear.

Alex looked down at his hands, the fear of the others fueling his earlier thoughts and bringing them back. He pushed them away again. "She said she had to go find Selena. She's been out for a few minutes now."

Sebastian's expression changed to one which no one could read, and he left the room, closing the door behind him.

*

_"Selena!!" Serena screamed, trying to locate her other half. She was having flashbacks to before, when Selena was so weak she was just a dim, nearly transparent angel, lying on the ground. She never wanted to see her like that again._

_"Selena! Answer me!"_

_"I'm here," a faint voice rang out._

_Serena sighed in relief, and followed the voice to Selena. She was sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around herself, almost like she was hugging herself for warmth._

_"Selena, what happened? Are you alright?" Serena asked, kneeling beside her._

_Selena avoided the question. "I was able to contact Angelina."_

_Serena sat back, startled. Selena shouldn't have been able to contact anyone, not in her condition. "Selena, please tell me you didn't."_

_"Why?" she asked, confused. "She's the only one out there that can help me. Us. Why shouldn't I have talked to her?"_

_"Because you barely had any energy to begin with!" Serena responded. "Why would you think talking to Angelina would be a good idea if it meant shortening the amount of time you have left?!"_

_Serena clapped a hand over her mouth. Sebastian had told her not to tell Selena she didn't have much time to escape before the inevitable, and she just did._

_Selena gave her other half a small smile. "Don't worry. I know I won't last in here much longer. I can feel it."_

_Serena's shoulders slumped. "Everyone is doing everything they can, Selena. There just really isn't anything any of us kids can do until Maria figures out the rest of the ingredients to the medicine."_

_"I get that. And I'm so grateful to all of you. But I just thought if I let Angelina know of the situation we were in, she might be able to get her hands on something that could help us."_

_"And?" Serena inquired, trying not to get her hopes up. They're aunt hadn't been too helpful to begin with. She didn't try to help break Selena from her cage in the woods, she couldn't get more than one dose of the medicine they needed to take, and she couldn't even give them a small list of ingredients so they could make their own._

_Selena took a couple of deep breaths before speaking. "She said she is going to go back to the lab and beg for either the ingredients or more medicine. She said she won't leave until she gets something."_

_Serena sighed. "But that could take days. We don't have that kind of time. The longer we stay locked up in this room, the more everyone will start to question what is going on. Dad doesn't look too thrilled about everything, either."_

_Selena saddened. "Oh, Dad. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, too."_

_Feeling the situation grow tense, Serena got to her feet. "I should go tell the others what you said. Just promise me you won't do anything like this again."_

_Selena smiled. "I promise. And make sure to watch for Angelina these next couple of days."_

_Nodding, Serena moved her consciousness back to the outside world._


	30. Chapter 30

When Serena woke up, she immediately felt the stares of three pairs of eyes watching her carefully. Wanting to avoid any awkward conversation, she opened her eyes and sat up straight. Her actions earned her a couple of surprised yelps, but she didn't acknowledge them; she turned straight to Alex.

"Selena is such an idiot!" she cried out.

Alex blinked, his face expressionless. Eventually, the words sank in and he gained a look of confusion. "Why do you say that?" he asked, ignoring the questions from Samantha and Finny that pelted both him and Serena.

Serena, still fuming, crossed her arms. "She knows she doesn't have much time left before she can't come back to us, but she still proceeds to go and use up most of her strength to contact Angelina! How could she? What was she thinking?!"

The other three were silent. Serena already had the answers to all of these questions, but still needed to vent out her anger and frustrations. _My other half is hopeless,_ she thought with a sigh.

"Selena decided that she was tired of being useless, so she used most of the power and energy she had left to contact Angelina." She looked around the room. "Wait, where is Dad? I don't want to half to say all of this again."

"I'll go find him," Samantha offered.

The door opened then, and Sebastian stepped inside. "No need. I am here. What happened, Serena?"

Serena grunted in frustration at having to repeat herself again, but she relaxed a moment later, knowing that this was all necessary if they were going to help Selena.

"Selena decided that it was a good idea to contact Angelina, even though she knew what it would do to her," she stated.

Sebastian sighed, slightly annoyed but mostly proud of his daughter's perseverance. He had raised a strong and determined daughter, she just didn't know it yet. "Was she at least successful?" he asked, feeling a faint smile dance on his lips.

Serena nodded. "Apparently, she told Angelina about everything that was happening, and she is going to go back for another dose of the medicine or the ingredients and won't leave until she has them. She wants us to watch for her for the next couple of days."

The four standing in the room all seemed to brighten up at the news, but Serena remained serious. "We shouldn't get our hopes up yet. We don't know how long it will take Angelina to get here with the medicine. We still need Maria working day and night, just in case she can't get another dose. Also," she added, almost hesitantly, "I do not trust Angelina. I never have. Don't expect anything from me in finding her."

Sebastian nodded while the others gave her confused glances. He was aware of Serena's distrust. He could sense it and where it blossomed from. A small part of Serena didn't trust angels. She only truly knew Selena, and she was obviously different from the others. Serena was a demon, after all, and a young one at that. It didn't surprise him that she didn't trust what she had yet to experience.

The rest of her distrust brewed from Angelina's actions. The angel hadn't broken Selena free from that cage in the woods, even though all it took was some angelic energy to shatter the bars. Angelina had only brought one dose of medicine and no ingredients list. While she'd had reasons for not being able to, Serena still questioned her loyalty, and her doing so was understandable.

Serena didn't answer any confused and concerned gazes from Finny or Samantha or Alex, and instead stared out the window. "Someone has to make sure that Angelina isn't seen by anyone else in this manor. It will bring unwanted attention to Selena."

The four of them nodded in understanding. If Selena made it out of this, the last thing she would need was Ciel barking questions at her, and demanding answers. The stress would probably be enough to send her under again. Sebastian made a mental note that he had to keep a sharper eye on things than usual.

"Alright," Sebastian said, going back into butler mode. "The two of you," he indicated Samantha and Finny, "need to get back to works. I want Alex to stay in here with Serena."

Samantha nodded and Finny saluted, then they both ran out of the room. Sebastian then looked to his demon daughter and his son, letting some of his sadness show on his face.

"We will save her," was all he said, before he, too, left the room.

Alex glanced over to Serena. There was a long silence between them, each one trying to let their father's words sink in. _We will save her..._

As the words sank into Serena, hope filled her for the first time in a while. Her father wouldn't lie to them, and he was determined to let nothing happen.

Serena gave Alex a bright smile. "I'll be fine in here by myself. No one else ever comes in here."

"But-" Alex started. Serna silenced him with another smile.

"Someone needs to go find the ingredients that Maria needs to make the medicine. And seeing as how you're the only one that can fly..."

Alex sighed, giving in. Serena was right. Even if Maria did know all of the ingredients, it wouldn't help them much if she didn't have them. Alex could at least make himself useful and be the errand boy. He nodded, then stood and turned to leave.

"Alex," Serena called out.

He turned to face her.

She gave a knowing smile. "Dad spoke the truth. We will save her. Know that I will do everything in my power to keep her alive."

Alex smiled back, nodding. With newfound hope and determination, he left the room to search for Maria.


	31. Chapter 31

As she watched Alex leave the room, Serena couldn't help but smile. His newfound determination only made hers grow. _Selena will get the medicine. She will be alright._

The one thing that was still up in the air, however, was if Maria would ever be able to find a cure. It would no doubt take many tries in order to find the correct set of ingredients, and Serena knew that Selena would not want to be a guinea pig for all of them. But seeing as how the illness only affected her, there was no other option.

There was also the fact that Selena might not ever be cured. If She refused to test all of the attempts at finding it, then that was that. There was no one else who could, and Selena would be sick for the rest of her life.

But, if Maria was successful in recreating the medicine, then Selena would have that forever. She could go to Maria at any time and get more.

But would her illness eventually realize and evolve, making itself immune to the medication? Serena had no idea. She knew it was something that happened in human diseases, but wasn't sure if the same rule applied to supernatural ones.

Serena shook her head, clearing of all the negative thoughts. Her father had promised that they would save her. The future wasn't important right now.

With nothing else to do other than sit in the empty, silent room, Serena lay down on the bed and decided to hang out with her other half.

*

Selena's POV:

_I was sitting in the deafening silence, as per usual, when she appeared before me._

_"Hey, Selena."_

_I smiled. "Hey. Why are you here?"_

_Serena smiled in returned. "What, I can't take a break from the world and come talk to you?"_

_"What about everyone else?"_

_"They all had to get back to work. I'd rather come spend time with you then sit in a room all by myself."_

_I was confused and slightly saddened by her words. "Alex left, too?"_

_Serena nodded. "I told him to. Someone has to go find the ingredients for Maria to make the medicine."_

_I perked up a little. "At least it gives him something to do. I hate making him stay with us all the time. He should be living his life, too."_

_Serena gave me a gentle smile. "You know as well as I do that he is glad to stay with us. I think he prefers it to being somewhere else and not knowing what is happening."_

_"Maybe," I said, glancing down at my hands. "So do you really think that this medicine is the only thing that will help me? I don't want to be stuck here that long. We have no idea when Maria will finally be able to figure out the rest of the ingredients. I can't even contact Angelina again." I felt my eyes begin to water. "Serena, I don't know how much time I have left..."_

_Serena approached me and sat in front of me, placing her hands in mine. Suddenly, her black mist appeared, and her hands began to glow with a dark light._

_I stared at our hands in awe, then looked back up at Serena. She was smiling warmly at me._

_"Selena, you will not be stuck here forever. You will wake up. I promise you that."_

_"Serena, what are you doing? Let me go!"_

_Serena closed her eyes and gripped my hands tighter as I tried to pull away. I was too weak from my situation to break free from her grasp, and after a few moments of struggling, I gave up and watched._

_Nothing seemed to be happening. After several minutes, her black mist faded, and the dark light around our hands grew brighter._

_"Serena..." I whispered._

_She shushed me. "Let me focus, Selena."_

_I nodded, still unsure of what she was doing. Either way, I trusted her. She wasn't going to hurt me._

_After several more minutes, Serena cried out and hunched over, releasing me and hugging herself. The light emanating from her hands vanished._

_"Serena! What happened? What did you do?!"_

_Serena gave a weak laugh. "You mean you can't feel it? Don't tell me I wasted all that energy for nothing."_

_"Feel wha...?" I wasn't able to finish the sentence. Suddenly, I felt so much stronger._

_"You gave your power to me? But why?"_

_"Why else? Because you need it."_

_"But so do you!"_

_Serena sighed. "You don't understand. I don't need it. I can give you all of it. As soon as we join back together again, I'll recover just fine. It's worth giving you any extra I have to keep you alive. Or maybe to help you wake up."_

_I stared at her, not sure of what else I could do. "Do you think giving me your energy will help me wake up?"_

_"Maybe, if I'm able to give you enough. It may take a few tries, though. But you're the one who needs to escape, so try if you want."_

_I kept staring at her. Could Serena be the one to help me leave? I really didn't want to have to wait for Angelina to bring me medicine. That could take forever. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to see everyone again. I wanted Finny to hold me again..."_

_I cleared my shocked expression from my face, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I wanted to leave. I had to leave._

_I had to wake up. I had to live._

_I focused my newly given energy on the voices around me, thoughts of the people I loved and wanted to see again. I thought so hard my head hurt._

_And then I felt myself start floating, rising up into the sky of the world between life and death._

_"Selena, it's working! Keep fighting!" I heard Serena cheer weakly._

_I felt myself nod, and pushed past the pain. I thought of Dad, Maria, Alex, Samantha, Finny..._

_And then it stopped. My mind blanked, and I felt myself falling, before everything was shrouded in darkness._


	32. Chapter 32

Third Person POV:

Finny peered around the corner, scanning the next hall for any sign on life. He sighed in relief when he saw no one there, then turned the corner and quietly scurried down the hall.

He hadn't been able to focus on his job. He'd been watering the hedges when and nearly flooded them as his mind had thought only of Selena. He wanted to see her, even if the closest he could get was her demon half.

When he finally reached her room, he knocked lightly on the door twice before entering. What he saw shocked him.

Alex was nowhere to be seen, and Serena was unconscious, her back against the headboard of the bed, her head lolled to the side.

Finny was by her side before he even realized what was happening. He managed to lay her down on the bed without breaking her, which he considered a small victory. He somehow seemed to only be able to manage his strength when Selena was involved.

He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest. She seemed so peaceful. It was hard to believe what was really happening in her mind.

He sat in that comfortable silence for no less than 30 seconds before the girl before him sat up with a scream.

Finny jumped back, startled, and stared at the girl in front of him who was breathing heavily, as if she had been drowning and finally broke the surface to get air.

He watched carefully as she examined her hands, felt her hair, and looked at the bed and the door. Confusion filled him. Had Serena had a nightmare?

Just as he was about to ask, her eyes made their way over to him. But these eyes were different from Serena's. These eyes weren't a brilliant crimson. They were an overjoyed hazel.

The next thing he knew, she was spreading her wings, and if her eyes hadn't been proof enough, Finny definitely knew who he was looking at when he saw the bright white feathers.

"Selena..." he said, speechless.

Selena's eyes, her stunningly beautiful hazel eyes, stared at Finny, brimming with tears of joy.

"Finny... I'm back."

*

Selena's POV:

After finally coming to the realization that this was no dream, I did the only thing I could think of to do; I jumped out of bed and hugged Finny tightly.

He returned my hug gently. "You're stronger."

I pulled back slightly and felt myself mimic my father's signature smile. "I guess I just needed a little nap," I joked.

Finny's eyes sparkled with unspoken glee, and my heart skipped a beat. I had missed his eyes so much...

I stayed in his arms a moment longer before I sat back down on the bed. After a beat, the door to the room burst open, and Dad hurried in, looking panicked.

His eyes landed on me, and he stared for a moment, taking in my appearance. After scrutinizing me under his gaze, his panic dissolved and relief took over his expression.

"Selena," he said happily.

I gazed back at him. "Hi, Dad."

He came over and sat on the bed beside me, pulling me into a tight embrace. I leaned into it. I'd missed him.

"How long was I out?" I asked to no one in particular. It had felt like eternity, but also like no time at all.

There was a long moment where neither of them said anything. I had been trapped inside my own mind, with no possible way to count the hours I had been stuck there. Serena had never said anything, but in all fairness, I hadn't asked.

Dad was the one to finally break the silence that had begun to be as unbearable and overwhelming as the one inside my mind. "A few days, Selena. We were all worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to worry you all. I want to help."

"We know you do," Dad said kindly. "We know you staying in your room and not being able to help is slowly killing you. Hopefully we will have everything for your medicine soon. Then all of this will be over."

"For now, at least," I muttered under my breath.

Dad sighed. "Yes. For now. But we will know how to make the medicine in the future. You won't have to suffer like this again. I swear it."

I smiled, content with his words. At the first sign that this was all happening again, we would have my medicine. I would be just fine.

"How did you manage to wake up?" Finny asked.

I looked at my hands, thinking back to what Serena had done for me. "Serena came to talk to me, then grabbed my hands and gave me her energy. Then she told me to see if she'd given me enough to wake up, so I tried it, and here I am." Then a thought occurred to me. "Is Alex still out? I don't know how long it's been since he left..."

Dad answered. "He is. It's only been a little less than an hour since he left, I believe."

I nodded to show I understood. "I know what he's doing is important, but do you think..." I trailed off as I glanced up at my father, not sure how to ask.

He smiled and put a hand on my head. "Go ahead."

I returned his smile and closed my eyes. _Alex, can you hear me?_


	33. Chapter 33

Third Person POV:

Alex had been searching for the items on Maria's list for nearly an hour now, scanning the world below him with a watchful eye. He'd found one ingredient already, a wild daisy. How he'd managed to find one in the winter, he'd never know. He was just grateful he had happened to stumble across it.

Now he was scanning the snow dusted earth for other ingredients, some of which he wasn't sure if he even knew what they were. He hadn't thought to ask before he left; he'd simply taken the list from Maria and hurried off into the cold wind.

He was searching desperately, giving himself small pep talks when needed. He was going to help save his sister. He had to. He'd lived without her for nearly his entire life. There was no way he was going to lose her again.

Alex landed in a small patch of trees, then continued his search on foot. He was nearing town, and didn't need to make a scene by letting someone see him flying over. Besides, maybe someone in town would be able to help him find the ingredients on his list. It wouldn't hurt to try. He'd brought some money with him, anyway. Maybe someone was selling what he needed.

He was about to step into a building when he heard it.

_"Alex, can you hear me?"_

He started, causing people to give him confused and judging glances. He shrugged them off, running away from the store. _Selena?!_ He called out to his sister. _Is that you? Are you okay?_

_"Yes, it's me. I'm fine. Alex... I woke up."_

Alex froze mid-stride. _Really?_

Selena's voice in his mind was soft and gentle. _"Really. Please come back. I want to see you."_

Alex was airborne faster than he could reply. _I'm on my way._

*

Selena had thought it would take a while for her brother to return to her side, considering the amount of time he had been gone, but when the door burst open not five minutes after she had talked to him, she jumped in surprise, then froze momentarily as arms wrapped around her before she was able to process the situation. Once she realized what was happening and who was holding her, however, she relaxed and returned her brother's warm embrace.

Alex felt her grip around him tighten, and he squeezed her even more when he felt how much stronger she was.

"I'm sorry, Alex."

He pulled away from his sister, confused. "Sorry? For what?"

Selena couldn't look him in the eyes. Instead, she stared down at her clasped hands. "For worrying you all the time. You and everyone else. I'm going to fight this. I don't want to burden all of you anymore. I should be carrying my own weight, not relying on all of you for everything."

Alex stared at his sister, who appeared to not be much better than when she had gone into her coma. She was pale, and looked tired, but the determination in her eyes was so strong it was hard to look away.

"What brought all of this on?" Alex asked carefully. "Why do you feel that way?"

Selena finally met her brother's gaze, and he could see the sadness that was hiding behind her determined expression. "I just don't want everyone to live their lives taking care of me, and I don't want to sit here being waited on hand and foot. I want to help. Nathaniel is still out there. I should be stronger than this if I want to have any hope of beating him."

Alex let Selena's words sink in, then gave her a gentle smile. After a moment, he held up the flower in his hand.

Selena stared at it. "A daisy?"

Alex nodded, grinning. "Yup. And it just so happens to be ingredient number one. We'll have you back in shape in no time."

He watched as his sister's eyes brightened and filled with tears. She jumped up and hugged her brother again, tighter than before.

Alex chuckled lightly. "Alright. I know you're happy, but you need to save your strength. You can't get stronger if you knock yourself out again."

Selena nodded and pulled away, then stood in front of her brother. Whatever Serena had done had worked wonders. She knew it was only temporary, but Selena could feel how much stronger she was. Hopefully the strength would last until the medicine was made, then they could all finally hunt down Nathaniel, and end everything once and for all.

Alex smiled. "I'd better take this to Maria and see if she figured out anything else. The sooner we find everything for this medicine, the sooner your wish will come true."

Selena nodded, then backed up and sat on the edge of her bed.

Alex moved toward the door, but stopped with his hand on the cold knob. He turned back to his sister. "Selena, I don't know what kind of effect my words will have on what you're thinking, but hear me out."

Selena cocked her head to the side, confused, but remained quiet.

"You said you want to be able to carry yourself, that you want to be able to defeat Nathaniel. Selena, I understand why you would feel this way. You feel as though you've been useless and a burden to everyone around you, but that isn't the case. There has never been a single second when _any_ of us regretted meeting you or needing to help you. Even if you weren't in the condition you are, every one of us would still want to be helping you just as much as we have been. That's what love does, Selena. We all love you like crazy and that means we are going to continue to care for you like this even once you're healthy again. And it also means that there's no way we are letting you stand up to Nathaniel alone, no matter what you want."

Selena straightened her head. "I never said-"

"You didn't have to. I know you want to fight alone. You don't want to put any of us in any danger. But we refuse to let you go alone. We'll all win or lose together, because we care about you so much."

Alex watched his sister process everything he had just said, and her eyes filled with tears. She jumped off her bed once again and latched onto her brother, sobbing into his shoulder.

"I love you all, too." She cried. "Thank you."

Alex closed his eyes and hugged his sister comfortingly. "There's no need to thank me. You should know I'd do anything for you."

Selena nodded, but never let go.

Alex smiled. "We only just recently found each other, Selena. I promise you, I am never losing you again."


	34. Chapter 34

Selena's POV:

Once Alex left to give Maria the flower he had found, I sat on my bed again, wiping the tears away from my face. I had no idea how I ended up with such luck. My brother, my father, and my friends all cared about me so much. I didn't deserve their love and determination, but I knew I was not going to let myself take any of it for granted.

Several minutes went by of silence. I tried to reach out to Serena, but I got no reply. I knew she was smart enough to keep enough of her energy to stay alive, so I refused the urge to jump back into my mind and search for her. Besides, I was scared I would get trapped again, and that was the last thing I needed. I'd just given everyone hope again. I couldn't take that away from them.

Finally, after the silence had seemed to be stretching on and on, there was a quiet and timid knock on the door. I called out to them, and they slowly pushed it open.

In the doorway stood Samantha. Behind her, I could see Maria smiling at me over her shoulder, and Alex was beside her.

My smile came back, and it took all of my willpower to stay seated on the bed, no matter how much I wanted to jump up and hug them. Serena had gifted her energy to me, and I was not about to waste it.

"Oh, Selena!" Samantha cried, running to me and wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back happily. "I'd been so worried about you! I'm so happy to see you again!"

"I'm happy to see you, too, Samantha. I'm sorry for worrying you all."

Maria stepped into the room, closely followed by Alex. "Don't be silly, dear. You have nothing to apologize for. You are awake now, and that's all that matters."

I smiled at her. "So how's the medicine coming?"

Maria's smile brightened. "Very well, actually. I only need a couple more things and then it should be good to go. I was actually just about to head out and get them myself. I'm fairly certain I should be able to buy them off someone in town."

I felt my entire mood brighten at her words. Finally. I was finally going to be me again.

"Well, I should really be going before the shops close. I don't want to make you wait too much longer. It already looks like it will be a very intricate process, and I'm sure there will be some trial and error." Maria straightened herself. "It was lovely to see you awake. I'll be sure to keep you informed on my progress."

"Thank you, Maria."

She nodded to me in reply, then closed the door behind her.

Samantha, who had yet to release me from her hug, looked at me again. "Are you feeling better? What happened? Oh, I'm so glad you're alright!"

I laughed a little at her excitement as I gently tried to push her back and gain some space to breathe. "I am feeling better, Samantha. Although, I won't lie, I definitely don't feel great."

Samantha's happy expression dropped from her face. It was replaced by one of sympathy and maybe a little understanding. "Of course you don't. You just woke up from a coma. You probably won't feel like yourself again until you get that medicine."

I nodded. "Yeah, I just hope Maria can get it right the first time. I don't want to risk my life trying out different concoctions."

Alex spoke up then. "You shouldn't have to. What she meant by "trial and error" wasn't testing it on you. The medicine should have a certain reaction when it's ready. She's more worried about blowing up her home."

I couldn't help but laugh again. A moment passed between the three of us, then I said softly, "I missed you guys... You have no idea how lonely it is to be stuck inside your own mind and conscious of everything."

They frowned as I hung my head. Samantha's arms returned to being wrapped tightly around me, and Alex sat beside us.

"And you have no idea of the fear we all felt, helplessly wondering if you were going to return to us," Alex told me. "None of us wanted to leave this room, especially Finny." He smiled at me then. "But we all missed you too."

I gasped suddenly. "Finny! Where is he?"

Alex smiled. "He's working right now. As soon as he left the room after you woke up, he's been trying to get caught up. He wasn't able to focus on it while you were out."

I felt my eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears, but I quickly blinked them away. I was not at fault for what happened. I couldn't let myself feel guilty. If anything, I should be helping him.

That gave me an idea.

"I want to go see him."

Alex and Samantha both looked slightly alarmed at my statement.

"Selena, you just woke up. I don't think you need to be walking around anywhere quite yet," Samantha warned.

"Please? I want to see him. I want to leave this bed while I still have the energy to do so." My tears came back. "I've been stuck inside my mind for so long. I just want to see and feel the sunlight."

Samantha and Alex exchanged a look, then turned back to me, smiling.

"Alright," Alex agreed. "Let me at least walk you out."

I smiled brightly and nodded. Alex stood and Samantha finally released me.

My brother extended his hand and I took it. He helped me stand, and I held onto him tightly for a moment as my legs shook. After a moment, I steadied and was able to let go.

I nodded to Alex. "I'm okay. Let's go."

Samantha stood from the bed. "I'll go tell Sebastian what's going on. I don't want him to come up here and worry if he sees you're gone." With that, she passed us and left the room.

Alex turned to me and smiled, then led the way through the manor and down to the snow dusted garden to see Finny. 


	35. Chapter 35

We slowly made our way outside and into the garden. I was nervous being outside after what happened last time, but I quickly shook away the feeling and smiled at Alex, then raced off to find Finny.

I eventually found him by the roses. I smiled and ran over and knelt beside him.

"Hi!" I smiled brightly.

"Hey. Why are you out here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

I looked down at the flowers before us. "I wanted to see you. And apologize for distracting you from your work. I'm sure Ciel wasn't too happy with you."

"You don't have to apologize!" he said quickly. "It wasn't your fault that happened, and the young master, well..."

"I know it wasn't my fault, I just feel bad about it."

He gave me his cute smile. "Well then, you're forgiven. No need to feel bad anymore."

I smiled back. "I wanted to make it up to you. Tell me what I can do to help!"

Finny reluctantly agreed to let me help him, but only if I promised to take it easy. He let me pull weeds and carefully plant some winter flowers. After a few hours, I stood and dusted myself off.

"You did great!" Finny praised as he came over to me. "I'm pretty much caught up thanks to you!"

I smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

"I'm happy you did, too. It was nice to spend time with you again," he said bashfully.

I nodded in agreement. I was so happy to be back with the ones I loved. _I really hope Maria finishes the medicine soon. I never want to put any of them through something like that ever again._

*

"You're leaving?" I asked, stunned.

It was the next morning when Dad had gathered all of us in my bedroom to tell us something important. I hadn't known what to think, but I certainly wasn't expecting this.

"Yes, later this afternoon. You know I have to, Selena. I feel horrible about it."

I understood. Ciel was the queen's guard dog, and my father his loyal servant. He couldn't break their contract, no matter how he really felt or what he thought he needed to do. He'd already risked it enough when he went to the states with me to find Mom. I couldn't let him do it again.

"Okay," I told him, and forced a smile. "I understand, Dad. Don't worry, I'll be fine here with everyone else."

He gave a relieved smile, then hugged me tight. "You know you can call for me if you need any help. I'll come running."

I hugged him back. "Don't worry about me. You have a job to do."

He released me after one more squeeze, then looked to the others around us. "Watch over her. I should only be gone a few days." He glanced back down at me. "And you should also make sure to take care of your brother."

I nodded. "I will. I love you, Dad."

He smiled. "I love you too, Selena. Stay safe." And with that, he left the room.

*

Time went by slowly after Dad left. I spent hours alone in my room, trying to rest and conserve my energy. I didn't want to waste it, but it was really boring being all by myself.

Eventually, I decided to wander the manor. Ciel and Dad were both away, so there wasn't anyone to tell me not to or to hide from. Besides, I wanted to see _someone_. Serena wasn't talking to me, and I was only being reminded of the deafening silences I'd experienced while trapped in my mind.

I quickly left the room and made my way toward the stairs, deciding to check the main hall for any sign of life. I silently hoped I wouldn't run into any of the servants here that I wasn't familiar with. I really just wanted to see Alex or Finny.

I sighed happily when I saw Alex walking toward the front door. Finally.

"Alex!" I called as I hurried toward him.

"Selena," he greeted with a smile. "How are you?"

"Great, now that I'm not alone anymore," I answered honestly. "What about you? Where are you going?"

He smiled. "I was on my way to see if there was anything I could do outside to help Finny. Samantha seems to be having fun helping Mey-Rin, so I thought I'd probably be best used elsewhere."

I pictured Samantha and the Phantomhive maid making beds together and laughing. I smiled at the thought. Samantha acts like she was born to be a maid or a caretaker. She's so good at it, plus she always seems to have fun.

I shook my head to clear it of the thoughts, then turned my attention back toward Alex. "Can I come help? I know I probably can't do much, but I think I'd be more help outside then inside. And I really don't want to be alone anymore..."

Alex's smile softened as he held out his hand. "Sure. Anything to keep my sister happy."

I smiled back at him as I took his hand, thankful he wasn't going to just send me back to my room.

"Selena!" came a voice from behind us. "Are you two going outside?"

I turned to see Samantha walking toward us. I smiled at her and nodded.

She beamed at me. "Do you mind if I come along? Mey-Rin and I decided to take a break, and I'd love to spend time with the rest of you."

I looked to Alex, and watched as he answered her with the smallest hint of a blush on his face. "Sure. The more the merrier."

Samantha's smile grew brighter, and she and I followed Alex as we made our way outside and toward the garden to find Finny. He stood from smoothing some soil and smiled. "Welcome, everyone."

We all greeted one another, then each spread out. Samantha and I sat on a bench to enjoy the sunshine, while Finny and Alex worked on tending the flowers and cleaning up the place to keep it presentable. We were all calm in the quiet, listening to the birds chirping and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees.

Then, I froze. Something suddenly felt off, like it wasn't supposed to be anywhere near our sanctuary. I looked to Alex, and noticed he had stopped working. He was staring into the trees.

"Alex..."

"I know."

Samantha and Finny watched us both curiously.

"We should probably go back-" I started, but never finished.

Something jumped out of the trees, and before I could even process what was happening, I had fallen into darkness.


	36. Chapter 36

When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the pain in my head. The next was the blindfold and restraints.

My wrists and legs burned at the contact of the anti demon chains that were digging into my skin. I did my best not to cry out as I tried to become as aware with my surroundings as possible.

I was bound at the wrists and ankles, tied to a chair, and blindfolded. My mouth wasn't covered. Maybe whoever was behind this wanted to hear me scream. Too bad I wasn't planning on breaking so easily. Not this time.

I struggled against the chains as much as I dared. I'd broken handcuffs before. Surely this couldn't be too much more difficult.

I pulled as hard as I could, then let out a grunt of frustration when they wouldn't break. What was I supposed to do now?

Another wave of pain went through my head, and I couldn't hold back the groan. I lowered my head as I tried to think and fight tears. I'd been kidnapped before. Someone would find me. They had to.

 _No._ I told myself. I was not giving up and waiting for someone to help me this time. I had to help myself.

 _"Hey,"_ came a familiar voice. _"That trick of ours would sure come in handy about now."_

_Serena! You're okay!_

_"Of course I am. You knew I wouldn't give all of my energy to you. Surely you knew this whole time I was going to be fine."_

_I'd hoped so. I didn't know what I would do if you were gone._

_"Well, you would be trapped in this sticky situation a lot longer than you will be. Let's get out of those chains."_

With that, I felt my body warm up as we split into two spirits. I stayed in control, while Serena hid inside.

Immediately, the pain from the chains was gone, and with just a thought, the metal around my wrists and ankles shattered into tiny shards and fell silently to the ground.

I smiled as I reached up and removed the blindfold, proud of our accomplishments. I frowned again when I looked around the room.

It was completely empty except for me and the chair I'd been bound to. I walked over to the door and touched it gently, hoping it would break like the chains. Instead, it sent a painful shockwave up my arm. I yelped and jumped back, the pain in my head coming back as well, making me dizzy.

 _"Selena, what happened? Are you alright?"_ Serena asked quickly.

_I'm alright, I think. But I can't get through the door..._

Serena was silent for a moment as she thought. _"Do you want to switch? Maybe I could get it open."_

I shook my head violently, stirring up the pain again. I held in another groan. _No, I don't want to risk getting stuck again. I can't do it. Not now._

_"Hey, I understand. It was just a suggestion. Don't let yourself stress too much. You've gotta keep your head clear. We can try to-"_

"Selena! Where are you?!"

I gasped. "Finny?!"

I got as close to the wall and the door as I dared. I wanted to beat against the walls, but I knew I couldn't touch them. "Finny! I'm in here!!"

 _"Selena, be careful,"_ Serena warned, but I ignored her. Finny was here.

"Selena!"

"Finny!!"

There was a long pause, and I feared someone had caught up to him. But then...

"Hey, are you alright?"

I felt tears in my eyes as I yelled through the walls. "I'm alright, but I can't get out. I can't touch the door or the walls."

There was a shorter moment between us, then he shouted, "Stand back."

"Finny, be careful," I said as I backed away.

After one final moment of silence, the door came crashing inward. I let out a yelp and jumped away, accidentally brushing the wall as I did so. I cried out again in pain as I held my hand against my chest.

Finny ran over to me. "Hey, what happened? Are you okay?"

I looked up at him, examining his face as he stared into my eyes. I felt tears well up yet again as I jumped forward and latched onto him. He instantly wrapped his arms around me.

"It's okay. I'm here now."

I nodded, hugging him tighter. I'd tried to be strong. I'd tried to come up with a solution. But I couldn't do it on my own. I wasn't strong enough. But I was safe now. Finny was here.

I pulled away slightly, then suppressed my tears. I couldn't waste time crying now. I wasn't free just yet. "Where are the others? Did they get taken, too?"

My heart dropped as he nodded. "All four of us were taken together. They knocked out you and Alex because they knew you'd be the hardest to take in. They threatened to hurt you further if Samantha and I didn't come along calmly. They separated all of us when we got inside, but I came to find you first because I knew you were their target, and because of the state you've been in." He stopped, seemingly remembering something, then grabbed my arm and looked at my hand. "What happened? Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head. "I touched the wall. I don't know what it's made out of that an angel can't touch it, but I don't really want to stay long enough to find out."

His eyes returned to mine. "Did you..."

I nodded. "But I'm not letting Serena take control, just in case. I can't do anything to help if I get trapped again."

Finny nodded. "Yeah, just be careful when you merge again, too. I don't want to worry about you like that ever again."

"Hopefully you won't have to," I smiled. "Now, let's go find Samantha and my brother."

"Have you tried asking him where he is yet? I'm sure he's having the same problems you were."

 _"Except he might still be restrained,"_ Serena pointed out. _"I don't believe he can use his powers separately like we can."_

_Alright then. Let's merge back together so we can try to talk to him._

_"Yes, ma'am."_

I looked up at Finny and grabbed his shoulders. Before he could ask, I said, "Just hold me for a second."

He didn't ask questions. His arms wrapped around me again and he held me gently as my body once again grew warm as Serena merged our spirits into one. Once I was me again, I pulled back and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Then, I smiled at Finny before closing my eyes.

_Alex?_


	37. Chapter 37

The silence that followed seemed to be even more deafening than that of when I was trapped in my own body. I gripped Finny's shoulders tighter, my body beginning to shake.

_Alex, please. Answer me._

Nothing.

"Hey," Finny spoke up gently. "He might just still be unconscious."

I nodded. "He's alive. I would know if something happened to him." Even though that was the truth, my voice was still quivering.

"Let's go look for Samantha for now," Finny suggested. "Hopefully he'll reach out to you when he wakes up. And you can keep trying to reach him. But we can't stay in here much longer, I'm sure they'll find out what happened soon enough."

I opened my eyes and nodded again. He was right. If our captors hadn't somehow heard the crash from Finny knocking down the door, then surely they would eventually come around to check in on us. We couldn't risk being here when that happened.

Finny took my hand and slowly led me out of the room, careful not to let me bump into any of the walls or touch the door lying on the floor. Once we were in the hallway, Finny picked a direction and slowly picked up the speed, making sure I could keep up with him. He never released my hand, and I felt safe holding onto him.

"Finny," I called out after a moment of running, "where did they take you? Was your room near mine at all?"

He slowed his pace slightly as he thought. "Yeah, it was. I think it was just in the next hallway."

"Then we should be searching for the others around here. Maybe they locked us all in one general area so we'd be easier to watch."

He nodded as we slowed to a stop. "Then let's check these rooms. Hopefully you're right."

"We need to be fast, though. We have to find them and get out of here. Then we can hide while I try to call for my dad."

Finny agreed, then we ran for the closest door.

We checked several rooms, all of which were unlocked and empty. Finny refused to let me touch any of the doors, and while it was kind of him to think about my safety, I couldn't help but feel pretty useless as he checked room after room.

 _"Do I need to spell it out for you?"_ Serena asked amusedly.

I stopped my sprint for the next door, confused. _What?_

I could practically hear her sigh. _"Samantha is a demon, correct?"_

_Yeah..._

Serena didn't say anything else. I stood in the middle of the hallway for several long moments, Finny staring at me, before I finally understood and gasped.

"I'm so stupid!" I exclaimed in frustration.

_"You said it..." Serena muttered._

I ignored her as Finny asked, "How? You're doing everything you can to-"

"No. I'm not." I sighed. "Finny, I can sense demons. I should've been trying to do that this whole time."

He was silent. I shook my head violently, clearing it of my own negativity. I had to focus. I had to find the others.

Closing my eyes, I searched for demonic energy. Immediately, I was bombarded with so much that it almost knocked me over. My heart fell, thinking it may be other demons, but I let that thought go. It could be that the hunters and scientists covered this place in demonic energies to try to fake me out and keep me from finding the others. I couldn't start assuming the worst or let my emotions get the better of me. I had to think.

I felt Finny take my hand and gently squeeze it, like he was trying to silently encourage me. I squeezed his tight in return, and tried to narrow my search for only Samantha's energy.

Slowly, the waves that had seemed to be oozing from the walls faded, and it seemed like there was nothing left. I didn't breathe as I tried harder. I had to find her. Finny said she was brought in alive...

Suddenly, there was a small presence in a room down the hall. It was faint, but I couldn't tell if it was because I wasn't the best at searching for people or because something had happened to her.

I opened my eyes and pointed to the room. "There," I told Finny. "She's in there, but her energy is faint."

Finny gave me a small smile and squeezed my hand again. "I knew you could do it." Then, he pulled me for the room I had indicated.

"Samantha?" I called through the door.

There was a jingle of chains from the other side. "Selena?!"

"Get away from the door, Samantha!" Finny called.

There was more rustling. "Okay," she said a moment later.

I backed away as well as I watched Finny punch down the large door. Before it had even stilled on the ground, I was already racing inside.

"Selena!" Finny and Samantha both called out, but with two very different tones.

I dodged the fallen door and ran up to Samantha, hugging her tight. She hugged me back, and then we both pulled away to assess the situation.

Samantha had been able to break out of her restraints, but clearly not without some struggle. Her wrists were burned from the metal chains, which were lying on the floor. I looked up to her face, and saw tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"I'm so happy you're alright," she whispered.

I smiled and hugged her again. "We'll get out of here, Samantha. We just need to find-"

_"Selena, can you hear me?"_


	38. Chapter 38

"Alex!"

Finny came into the room as Samantha held my arm. I steadied myself and closed my eyes. _Alex, where are you?_

I could almost hear him chuckle. _"Locked in a room. Where are you?"_

_Finny found me and broke me out. We just found Samantha. We're headed to you next._

He sighed in relief. _"Glad all of you are okay. I'll wait here for you and try to get out of these chains."_

_Alex, if you do, be careful not to touch the walls or the door. I don't know what they did to them, but it hurts really bad._

He suddenly grew alarmed. _"Really? Are you okay?"_

_Yeah, I'm alright now. Just be careful. Please._

_"I will. Thanks for the warning."_

I opened my eyes and looked to Finny and Samantha. "I think he just woke up. I warned him about the walls, but he's still restrained for now."

"Are you able to find him?" Samantha asked.

I nodded. "Finding him won't be an issue. I'm just worried about how long we've been taking. Someone is going to come check in on us soon. I'm surprised they haven't heard all of the doors being broken down."

Finny froze. "Maybe they have. Maybe they're waiting for us at the exit."

"Then we need to be extra careful as we make our escape," Samantha said.

I looked down at the ground. "What if there is no escape? What if they really have us trapped in here?"

Samantha and Finny both moved closer to me. "We'll make it out of here," Samantha answered. "Even if we have to fight them off with just the four of us. We'll make it."

"But what if I get sick again? I'm not able to exert myself as much right now. I'm not going to be much help to anyone."

Finny took my hand in his. "We won't let anything happen to you."

"That's not my issue. What if something happens to all of you? How am I supposed to save you?"

They were both quiet. They knew I was right.

"Just don't use too much of your strength for now. Save it for when we need you," Finny said.

I nodded. After I found Alex, I would save my strength. If I couldn't get Dad to come help us, I would need to be able to fight.

With that, I closed my eyes and started my search for Alex's energy. I cleared my head and started looking for angelic energies. This time too, the whole building seemed to be flooded with energies, however, these were much harder to block out. I held tightly to Finny and Samantha, my body shaking with the effort.

"Selena, hey, if it's too much-"

"I have to find him," I responded to Samantha through clenched teeth.

After several long, painful minutes, The excess energies finally disappeared, and I could sense Alex clearly. He wasn't too far away, maybe just a few hallways down.

I took a deep breath, struggling to open my eyes. It was then I noticed I was sweating, and at some point I had sunk to my knees.

"Hey, Selena," Finny called out, worry clear in his voice. I shook my head and looked up at him. "What happened?"

"I searched for Alex's angelic energy. I assumed he'd be the only other one besides myself. I thought it would be easier that way, but I forgot I'd already used my angel side. It's still weak, and now I've pushed it to its limit."

Finny gave me a small smile. "As long as you aren't over your limit, I'd say we're okay for now." With that, he lifted me off the ground and held me. "Tell me where he is. We'll go find him."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his neck, then gestured in the direction we needed to go. "I'm pretty sure he's right in front of us, just down a couple hallways."

Finny nodded, then started running. Samantha quickly followed.

*

"Alex!" I called loudly when we reached the door to the room that contained my brother.

"Selena!" he called back.

"Are you still tied up?" I asked.

"No, I managed that much."

"Stand back," Finny called as he carefully put me down. I swayed a little as I released him, and as he knocked down the door to get to Alex, I lost my balance and fell fully into the wall.

I screamed as burning pain shot through my entire body. As much as I tried, I couldn't get myself to move away from the wall. It was as if whatever was causing me so much pain had also paralyzed me.

Those few seconds before Samantha grabbed me and pulled me away from the wall felt like hours of excruciating pain. When I was in the middle of the hallway again, Alex was right beside me, holding his stomach.

"Are you alright?" I asked him weakly, trying to sit up.

He gave a single laugh. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I'm more worried about you and how a wall could hurt you so bad that I can feel it." He looked over to Samantha. "Can you touch the walls?"

She nodded, resting her hand on the smooth surface. "It's no problem for me. It must be some type of angel hunting technology or something."

Alex turned back to me. "Can you stand?" he asked gently.

I shook my head. "I need a minute... I can barely move..."

He nodded, placing a hand on my back and helping me sit up. Finny and Samantha both turned to face opposite ends of the hallway, standing guard as I tried my best to breathe and get my mobility back. I couldn't let this stop me. We had to get out of here.

Slowly, the pain faded away, and I was able to move my body again. I let out a sigh of relief when I had full control, and Alex pulled away and helped me stand.

"I'm alright now," I said, telling the others while also trying to convince myself. "We should start making our way toward the exit. If they are there waiting for us, then I say we just go ahead and get this over with before anything else bad happens in here."

They all nodded, and when my gaze met Alex's, it was mischievous.

"Hey, don't touch the walls," he said. "I heard they hurt pretty bad." There was a beat, as if he was waiting for a reaction. When he didn't get one, he added, "Too soon?"

I just smiled and playfully smacked his arm. He smiled back, then took my hand as we all dashed down the hall, hoping we could find an exit.


	39. Chapter 39

We ran for what felt like ages, searching desperately for what we hoped would be a doorway out of this mysterious place we'd been trapped in. Every corridor looked the same. Just rooms upon rooms of nothing.

It was when my coughing began again that we finally stopped for a break. Alex stopped running as I did, and his grip on my hand tightened as I sank to my knees and he knelt beside me. The others all turned and approached as well.

"Breathe, Selena," Alex cooed. "It'll pass. You're alright."

After several long moments, the fit ended, and I took deep breaths. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry I didn't think to give you a break sooner," my brother answered. "Can you keep going?"

I thought for a moment. I knew we had to keep moving, but I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep running without stirring up another fit. After a few seconds, I shook my head. "I don't think so," I told him, my voice hoarse.

He nodded, then looked up to Samantha and Finny, who were both clearly worried about me, but also anxious to keep moving. I couldn't blame them. The longer we stayed here, the more likely we were to be found.

Alex stood then, looking down at me. I stared up at him, wondering what he was thinking, until he lifted me into his arms and started running alongside the others. I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly, memories flooding my thoughts as I recalled the times Alex had had to carry me around because I'd been too weak to walk on my own. _If we make it out of here, I'll take that medicine and hope he doesn't have to carry me like this for a long time._

I shook my head, clearing it of thoughts of coughing up blood all over Alex and the possibility we wouldn't escape. _We're going to get out of here. I know we are. We have to. Dad..._

I couldn't help but chuckle against the pang in my heart. "If Dad ever finds out about this..." I croaked.

Alex gave me a small smile. "He'll never let you leave his sight again. Next thing you know, we're all going on missions with him and that guard dog."

I giggled, then rested my head on his shoulder. I knew Dad was going to find out about this eventually. Maybe he already knew, but still, I didn't think I would mind an excuse to stay with the people I cared about all the time.

It was another several long minutes before everyone came to yet another halt. I lifted my head and looked at the others, then realized why they had stopped.

We'd reached a dead end.

"This place is like a maze..." Samantha said. "How are we supposed to figure out the right path?"

"We could try following one wall all the way around," Finny suggested, half jokingly. "It'll take a long time, but it will guarantee we find an exit."

"What if there isn't one?" Samantha asked. "What if they sealed us in here?"

"I don't think that's the case," Alex told them. "They haven't come to find us yet, meaning they are probably all waiting for us at the exit. They want us to make our way out of here so they can test us for something."

"But what would they be testing us for?" Samantha inquired.

We were all silent for a moment, thinking. Then, it dawned on me.

"Not all of us," I told them, hugging Alex tighter. "Just us."

More silence followed as everyone realized what I suggested was true. Nathaniel was our kidnapper, that much was obvious. He wanted to test me and Alex to see if we were worthy to keep alive for experimentation.

"Even so," Samantha said quietly, "we still have to find a way out, and you're currently too weak to do much of anything."

I lowered my head.

The silence that followed was loud as we were all trying to think of what we could do to get out of here. I weighed each fact carefully in my mind: Alex and I were the real test subjects in this sick game, Nathaniel clearly had set it up, I was weak from trying to find the others, the walls were coated in some sort of material that hurt angels, they were also infused with both demonic and angelic energies, this place seemed to be shaped like a maze, and I was starting to get sick again. Something out of these things had to help us get out of here.

Suddenly, I got an idea.

"Alex."

He looked up at me. "What is it?"

I made him put me down, then told him. "When I was looking for you and Samantha, I tracked you down by searching for your energies. For Samantha, I searched for demon energy, and for you I looked for angelic. Well, they made it really hard to find both of you because they infused both kinds of energies into the walls somehow. I don't think I'll be able to do it again in my state, but you should try. If you're able to sense the energies in the walls, maybe you'll be able to see everything like a map or something."

"This place does seem to be shaped like a maze," Finny thought aloud. "If that will help you see the walls, it could save us time by knocking out the dead ends."

"Selena, that's a great idea!" Samantha exclaimed.

I smiled tiredly. "Yeah, but Alex, if you're anything like me, search for demon energy first. When I tried looking for your angel side, it hurt and seemed to drain me."

Alex nodded. "Are you alright to walk? Why did you make me set you down?"

I gave him a weak smile. "I want all of your focus to be on getting us out of here. Finny can carry me if I need him to." My expression then turned to pleading. "Please, Alex. This is the only way I know of that will get us out of this maze."

Alex looked between me and the others, then nodded. I backed away from him as he closed his eyes, and felt Finny grab my shoulders to steady me.

There was another long, intense moment of silence as we watched Alex concentrate. After a couple of minutes, he said, "I've got it."

We all cheered, the Finny lifted me into his arms and started to follow Alex through the building, and hopefully out of this maze and back into the sunlight.


End file.
